Dali returns in the role of a devoted mother dog

Like other A-list actors, she has her own chair when she's on set. She has a private black van with cushy red carpet inside. And she was the highest paid actor in "Heart is... 2", which opened yesterday in theaters nationwide.

But this lady is no diva: she isn't picky about makeup or camera angles, nor is she particular about what she eats. After a tough scene, perhaps one that requires her to run a lot, all she needs is a couple pieces of meat.

Her name is Dal, which means "moon" in Korean, and people call her Dali (the "i" is a particle that is attached to Korean names). She first played Maumi in the 2006 film "Heart is.."., which was also her screen debut.

In "Heart is... 2", the sequel to Hearty Paws, Dali plays a devoted mother dog who embarks on a journey to find her puppy, who is kidnapped by villains.

Dali has great timing on-screen and off, knowing just when to let out a low snarl to express discomfort and when to let loose and bark.

The movie was far more demanding for the 10-year-old Labrador Retriever than the previous installment. But Dali, ever the professional actress, handled it with grace - not an easy feat after giving birth to four pups last July.

With Heart is... 2, Dali has become the first four-legged actress to star in a sequel. In fact, Heart is... 2 is the nation's first film franchise starring an animal.

To find out more about Dali's experiences on set and off, the JoongAng Daily talked to Kim Zong-kwon, Dali's owner and trainer.

Kim, who once owned a factory that manufactured cotton gloves, adopted Dali from an acquaintance when she was just 60 days old.

The puppy changed Kim's life. After Kim had to shut down his business because of health problems, he opened an animal acting academy in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, as a tribute to Dali, and it has been a big success for both him and his animal companion.

Q. Did you adopt Dali with the idea of training her for films or did you see her cinematic potential as you were raising her?

A. I love animals. Dali was a gift from a friend, but I soon realized that she had special talent. When she came to live with me she was just 60 days old, but she already understood basic commands such as "sit", "down" and "stand". Ordinary dogs understand about 15 words, but Dali understands nearly 80. She's really smart.

How long was Dali's day during the production of Heart is... 2?

Dali filmed between two to three hours a day on average. With human actors, you get better results if you shoot the same scene over and over again but animals are different. The longer it takes to shoot a scene, the more distracted they become. So everyone on set prepared for scenes before Dali was brought in.

How did you teach her to act?

The director sent me the details of Dali's scenes so I could start training her. Practice was the only way to prepare Dali for her scenes. And she never refuses training sessions.

Did Dali receive special treatment from the production staff?

Before filming began, director Lee Jeong-cheol and the camera crew would spend a couple of days with her a week. They felt they needed the time with Dali to ensure a good outcome. And it worked.