You’d think the biggest star of a fictionalised series based on Netflix’s Tiger King would be… tigers. But with all the risks of being, y’know, eaten, the makers of Peacock’s new series Joe vs. Carole found a suitable stand-in.
In the show, Kate McKinnon takes on the role of Carole Baskin up against her real life rival John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic, while Kyle Maclachlan stars as Carole’s husband, Howard.
The Twin Peaks star told Stephen Colbert on Thursday there were no actual tigers on set — but they had to have something.
“We didn’t actually have tigers,” said Maclachlan. “No tigers were used in the filming, they’re all CGI. But instead, in the place of tigers, we had great danes. Ferocious, mean, vicious great danes.”
“Well, you know,” Colbert replied, “my executive producer Tom Purcell once famously said when we were trying to get a wildcat into our show to do something he said, ‘Look, anything that could eat the actors is going to be expensive.'”
“I was very grateful not to have a tiger on the site for that very reason,” replied Maclachlan.
Joe vs. Carole is streaming now on Peacock.
