Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Turner & Hooch’s Vanessa Lengies and Becca Tobin

Multitalented Glee alumni Becca Tobin and Vanessa Lengies are back together for their action-packed new series Turner & Hooch.

The family dramedy follows an ambitious, buttoned-up US Marshal who inherits a big unruly dog. He soon realizes that the dog he didn’t want may be the partner he needs.

Two of the stars of the series, Becca Tobin and Vanessa Lengies, spoke to us about Turner & Hooch, what audiences should know about their characters, and what it was like reuniting for another project!

PC: Becca, you’re one of the co-founders of the LadyGang. Is Brooke a Keltie, a Jac, or a Becca?
Becca: Oh my God, I love you. Brooke is a thousand percent a Keltie. She makes manifestation boards. She’s the little engine that could. She never stops working and is goal-oriented. She’s a Keltie, but she’s not quite as…how should I say it? Excitable. [laughs]

PC: Vanessa, you’ve played a wide range of characters throughout your career. What was it about Erica that attracted you to this project?
Vanessa: The goofy goofball nature of her! I love acting because I can come outside of myself and pretend to be other people. Erica has some deep connection with my inner goofball, which is pretty much me in my natural habitat. I felt lucky that was able to come out.

This was also my first role playing an Egyptian, and I’m Egyptian! I’ve played all kinds of different ethnicities, which right now is—well that’s controversial—but I’m a mix and a mutt. This is my first time playing an Egyptian character, Erica Mouniere.

I also loved having my hair naturally curly, which I know doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for me, it really was, having acted for a few decades. I’ve always had to change my hair. It felt important to me to have that curly frizzy hair for this part.

PC: Becca, you have a theater background. On the stage, anything can happen. How did those experiences prepare you to work with the unpredictability that comes with working with a live animal?
Becca: It’s been such a long time since I’ve done live theater that having dogs come in was a reminder that you have to be ready for anything, go with the flow, and pay attention to everybody in the room. Sometimes, you can get very in your head and focused on what you’re about to say and what you’re about to do. With these dogs, it doesn’t matter what you had planned; it goes out the window because they’re animals. They’re very well-trained, but they’re still spontaneous. You end up moving with them. It felt great because that’s the excitement of live theater: it’s being at the mercy of what happens.

PC: There are several dogs that ended up playing Hooch. Vanessa, your character is the dog whisperer. How were you able to build that connection with each of those dogs?
Vanessa: A lot of time with them before scenes and after scenes. It was about being with the dogs and learning their different personalities, finding out how to make them more brilliant by using their particular preferences. For example, if a dog didn’t like loud noises, you would be very careful about shuffling your feet with that particular dog in the scene.

I tried to make every dog comfortable and build that trust with them, so when I did need the dog to do something for me, it was ready and raring to go. It was a lot. It was a whole new skill that I’m so grateful that I got to practice.

PC: Both of your characters play an integral role in Turner’s life, so I’m assuming your paths will eventually cross. Since the two of you were part of the Glee family, what was it like getting to collaborate with each other again on another project?
Becca: It was so exciting. It’s not often that you get to work with the same actor on two different projects. If I could have hand-selected someone from the Glee cast to work with for another time, Vanessa would be at the top of the list. Being able to work on set and know that you have a teammate and somebody that you can go to at lunch, sneak into her trailer and say, “I’m feeling weird about today,” or “I’m a little nervous for the scene,” and have somebody pump you up or be silly with that already knows you—that’s incredible.

There were no awkward “getting to know you” moments with the cast. She’s so beloved within this family. I came in a little bit later, so having her as my friend felt like having the cool girl in school vouch for you. It was really special thing to have.

Vanessa: I started a text thread with all the other ladies on the show when Becca was on her way. I was like, “Everyone, this is Becca. She’s amazing. I’m putting us all together so that when she gets here, we’re all connected.” I was very excited for Becca to get there.

PC: You can tell that the two of you are really, really close. What’s one fact that fans would be surprised to learn about your co-star?
Vanessa: Oh, that’s amazing. Fans know how much she loves her dog. I babysat for her when she was at work. She’d come home, and I would see the soft, young, sweet, defenseless part of Becca. It was beyond precious. I’m sure fans gets to see that, but I hadn’t before. I felt really touched and enamored by it.

Becca: Thanks. The thing about Vanessa that fans already know is she’s this magnetic person on screen, and she makes people laugh. She brings a lot of joy. In a room of hundreds of people with cast, crew, and producers, you can’t find anyone who dislikes Vanessa.

When we’re shooting a scene and she’s doing her thing, everyone is stifling laughter because she makes everyone laugh so much. It’s so genuine. Crews on set aren’t easy to break; they’ve seen it all. They don’t think too much is funny, and they don’t get surprised, but when Vanessa gets on set, everyone’s excited for her to be there. Everyone’s excited to see the choices that she makes. She’s wonderful. She’s so incredible. She’s going to work for a million years because she’s as well liked off-screen as she is on.

Vanessa: Thank you, Becca. I love you.

Make sure to follow Becca (Instagram) and Vanessa (Twitter/Instagram). Watch Turner & Hooch on Disney+ today.