[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] In director Christopher Nolan’s new film *The Martian*, it’s not Matt Damon or Tom Holland, but an unexpected actor who is tugging at the heartstrings of audiences. It’s Argos, the loyal dog who waited 20 years for Odysseus. Argos, whose brief performance—gently lifting his head and wagging his tail with great effort—brought the set to tears, is now drawing attention as details of his real-life “acting career” come to light.

According to reports by The Sunday Times and other outlets, the dog who portrayed the elderly Argos is a 15-year-old Portuguese Podengo named “Sawyer.” While he is a veteran entering his twilight years in human terms, he is more like a “born actor” who has spent most of his 15-year life in front of the camera. He has appeared in various productions and commercials, including the film *Call of the Wild*, as well as *Shameless* and *Brooklyn Nine-Nine*, and had recently been enjoying a virtual retirement, strolling along the beaches of Los Angeles (LA). However, upon receiving an offer to appear in *The Odyssey*, he returned to the camera.
Argos plays a pivotal role in one of the most famous scenes from Homer’s original epic. After the Trojan War and a long odyssey, Odysseus returns to Ithaca for the first time in 20 years and makes his way to his palace in disguise. While even his family and those around him fail to recognize him, the aged and frail Argos instantly recognizes his master. Wagging his tail and lowering his ears, Argos breathes his last after reuniting with Odysseus.
Director Nolen put a great deal of effort into the “canine acting” to bring this brief but powerful scene to life. Sawyer and animal trainer Mike Milioiti were given about two months to prepare. The key was not to have the dog, meeting its master for the first time in 20 years, simply leap up in joy. Instead, they had to portray the moment when an elderly dog, facing death, mustered its last bit of strength to recognize its master.
Sawyer was trained to lift his head just slightly after spotting Odysseus and to wag his tail cautiously rather than vigorously. The trainer controlled Sawyer’s reactions using a low, calm voice and slow movements. On set, the crew reportedly requested a quiet atmosphere so that Sawyer could maintain his emotional state.
The impact of this restrained performance was greater than expected. When the scene in Argos, Sicily, was filmed, the crew on set was moved to tears. Tom Holland, who played Telemachus, recalled that even though his close-up scene was scheduled immediately afterward, the crew was still crying, so deeply moved were they by Sawyer’s performance. When asked who was their most challenging co-star, both Tom Holland and Matt Damon named “Sawyer” in unison.
The casting of Argos—not as “one dog playing three roles,” but as “one role played by three dogs”—also drew attention. To depict the passage of time, different dogs played Argos as a puppy, a middle-aged dog, and an elderly dog. Sawyer took on the role of the elderly Argos. Breed was also a factor in the casting process. The Portuguese Podengo is a breed with a long history, and actor John Leguizamo noted that its resemblance to dogs from ancient Greece influenced the casting decision.
Above all, Sawyer didn’t even have to audition. The decision was based on the fact that he was already a “veteran” with experience in numerous films and TV series, and that he possessed the right look for Argos. While the Podengo, known for its independent and emotional nature, is considered a challenging breed to train, Sawyer and his long-time trainer managed to convey Argos’s patience through subtle gestures alone.
Although *The Odyssey* boasts a star-studded cast and a massive production scale, the performance required of Argos involved neither spectacular action sequences nor lengthy lines. Just a single lift of the head and a single wag of the tail. This is why Sawyer—a 15-year veteran “canine” actor who portrayed the final moments of a loyal dog that waited 20 years—emerged as *The Odyssey*’s unexpected scene-stealer.