Overview
- Hathaway told Complex that any movie that kills a dog should automatically receive an R rating and that curse words or other violence should not be the deciding factor.
- The comment came while she was promoting The End of Oak Street and she reassured audiences that the film’s dog, Starbuck, is fine and viewers need not worry.
- Hathaway cited the 2014 film John Wick as a turning point that left many viewers unusually sensitive to canine harm on screen.
- Fans responded online by echoing concern for dogs in films and directing people to third-party content-warning tools such as doesthedogdie.com to check for animal harm before watching.
- No rating boards have proposed any formal change and U.S. ratings currently do not assign automatic classifications based solely on animal deaths, a practice that has varied in past films like Old Yeller and Marley & Me.