Do you remember Sam, the dog that appeared alongside Will Smith in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie I Am Legend? Ten years have passed since the movie’s debut, and the dog, whose real name is Abbey, is still doing well and lives with her family and trainer, Steve Berens.
“She’s older now, and she doesn’t hear much. But she’s still kicking, and she enjoys a ball and a
bone,” Steve explained in a recent interview.
“When you deal with a lot of actors, they’re not that interested in the animal – a lot of actors see it as something the audience will be looking at instead of them.”
“But Will was not like that at all. He realized this was his co-star, and he really enjoyed it and got into it. […] I believe she liked him, which made a difference.”
Will Smith lost a dog in a vehicle accident when he was a child, and he vowed to himself that he would never have another pet again because the sorrow was too intense. But his on-set attraction to Abbey was so great that he even asked her trainer if he could keep her.
“I was pleading with him. I was like, please give me Abbey. Please, please, please give her to me. But, you know, she now has her own family, so it was just another one of those Hollywood romances.”
If you need to refresh your memory about the movie, here are a handful of snippets that highlight Will Smith and Abbey’s friendship.
