Buddy Died, But Zegers Is Back In `Bud' Sequel

A basketball-playing dog named Buddy was the star of last summer's Disney movie, "Air Bud," but he isn't featured in the sequel, "Air Bud: Golden Receiver," which goes into national theatrical release today.

Buddy lost a leg and died before filming began on the sequel, which, like the original, was shot in Vancouver, B.C. He was replaced by Rush - another trained dog who did many of the basketball stunts in the first film - and five other dogs who take turns playing the role.

Rush recently visited Seattle's Planet Hollywood on a promotional tour, along with Kevin Zegers, who plays Josh, the dog's best friend in both movies. Zegers was quick to point out that the use of several animals to play one dog is common practice.

"There were many Lassies, many Rin Tin Tins," he said. And the practice isn't restricted to non-human actors. "Twins took turns playing my baby sister in `Life With Mikey,' which was my first movie."

Buddy isn't the only cast member who has been replaced. Cynthia Stevenson now plays Josh's mother, instead of Wendy McKenna. And Charles Martin Smith, who directed the first film, has been replaced by Richard Martin (his father, "Laugh-In's" Dick Martin, has a cameo as a comic-relief sportscaster).

Returning for the sequel are Shayn Solberg as Josh's best friend, Tom, and the original movie's screenwriters, Paul Tamasy and Aaron Mendlsohn.

Because he'd already worked with Rush and two other dogs on the first "Air Bud," Zegers didn't find the transition difficult. More vexing was the fact that, as the title suggests, the sequel concentrates on football. Like the fatherless character he plays, Zegers is much more fond of basketball.

"The character is sort of like me," said Zegers. "I mean, I didn't lose my father, but I found Josh really easy to relate to. He's outgoing, but only around a certain group of people. He likes to be discreet."

The young Toronto actor will play the part again in "Air Bud: World Pup," which will showcase yet another sport: soccer.

Zegers turns 14 next month, and he goes to Montreal next week to start working on another movie, "Four Days," with Lolita Davidovich and Colm Meaney.

Between "Air Bud" and its sequel, he appeared in a Canadian TV series, "Traders," and completed several movies, including "The Shadowbuilder," "A Call to Remember," "Nico the Unicorn," "It Came From the Sky" and a new version of "Treasure Island," co-starring Jack Palance as Long John Silver. Zegers plays Jim Hawkins, the young hero of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel.

"We shot that on the Isle of Man," he said. "We sort of changed the story, made it a little different. The slow scenes at the beginning of the book happen a lot quicker."

Although he has been appearing on television and in movies since he was 6, and he's been a guest star on "The X-Files" (as a child with stigmata in the 1995 episode "Revelations"), "Air Bud" was the picture that really got him noticed.

Although Zegers is being promoted as the next Leonardo DiCaprio, he hints that he could make a career change.

"Sometimes it gets a little tiring," he said between yawns. "Not the shooting, though. I enjoy that. I'm just going to keep working, though I'm going to keep up with school, too, in case I don't want to do this anymore."