Posted: April 30, 2008, 5 a.m. EST
Susan Sarandon brought an unlikely guest to a recent press conference at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City: her Maltese-Pomeranian mix.
“This is Penny,” said the actress to a Philadelphia Daily News reporter, as she placed the small white dog on a table in front of her. “She’s hypoallergenic. If anyone here is allergic to dogs, don’t worry.”
Sarandon was at the hotel to promote HBO’s “Bernard and Doris,” the story of the late billionaire Doris Duke’s relationship with her gay servant, played by Ralph Fiennes, who inherited Duke’s entire fortune.
Penny also has a role in Sarandon’s upcoming movie, “Middle of Nowhere,” which also stars Sarandon’s daughter, Eva Amurri.
“Penny is in every scene with me,” Sarandon says. “She just sat there. In one scene, my character and Eva’s character were having a big fight. I have Penny in my arm and I’m waving her around and she was quiet. I’m yelling at Eva and the dog just quietly hung in there.”