There’s a famous quote circulated in showbusiness for years that goes, “Never work with children or animals.” For both director Gilles de Maistre and actress Molly Kunz, the animals are the pure enjoyment at work for the family film The Wolf and the Lion.

The production worked with the animals since they were a pup and the lion. Due to this relationship, both animals grew up together along with the human partners that formed a strong-knit bond for this family-friendly film.

Here is the official description:

After her grandfather’s death, 20-year-old Alma decides to go back to her childhood home—a little island in the heart of the majestic forest. While there, she rescues two helpless cubs: a wolf and a lion. They forge an inseparable bond, but their world soon collapses as the forest ranger discovers the animals and takes them away. The two cub brothers must now embark on a treacherous journey across the wilderness to be reunited with one another and Alma once more.

The film stars Molly Kunz, Graham Greene, and Charlie Carrick. Gilles de Maistre directed the movie from a screenplay written by Prune de Maistre.

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta talked with actress Molly Kunz and director Gilles de Maistre on their three-year journey of filming a story with the same animals since they were babies. We discussed the training process, bonding, and the challenges of the film.

Molly Kunz previously was in Steve McQueen’s Widows in a supporting role that starred Colin Farrell. She was the lead in the coming-of-age indie film The Wise Kids. On the television side, she had a recurring role in USA Network’s Colony and appeared in MTV’s Finding Carter and Hulu’s Battleground.

In 1990, Gilles de Maistre won the Albert-London Prize for his documentary Boy Soldiers. He made the feature film Killer Kid in 1994, which won the Audience Award and the Cannes Junior Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2002, the political thriller Ferocious took a narrative against the extreme right. He went back to documentaries with The First Cry, which was nominated for a Cesar award for best documentary film. Then he developed the documentary series Children’s Hospital on M6 and Delivery Room on France 3. His first television film Grand Reporters won the Special Jury Prize at the La Rochelle TV Fictional Festival. Finally, he entered into the animal cinema with Mia and the White Lion in 2018, which became the biggest French international success at the box office and won the Lux-Louis Delluc prize.

The Wolf and the Lion is in theaters this Friday, February 4.

Watch the exclusive interview with director Gilles de Maistre and actress Molly Kunz below. Let us know what you think of the interview.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Blue Fox Entertainment, StudioCanal