Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Actress Talks About Playing Cosmo the Space Dog

Marvel newcomer Maria Bakalova shares details about playing the role of Cosmo the Space Dog in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The third leg of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise will introduce us to new characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Aside from Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary and Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock, another character will have more screentime in the upcoming movie. 

Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova will play Cosmo the Space Dog in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The canine Marvel character appeared first in the first movie of the Guardians of the Galaxy. When the group brought the Orb to Tivan, we saw Cosmo among the Collector’s collections. And then, Carina unleased the power of the Orb’s Power Stone, destroying the museum in the process. We saw Cosmo escape, but later on, the dog returned and sat beside Tivan.

The upcoming Vol. 3 will dive into Rocket Racoon’s origins which will greatly involve the High Evolutionary. The recent San Diego Comic-Con trailer confirmed this as it showed an afraid baby raccoon. How Cosmo the Space Dog and Adam Warlock come into the picture is still unclear, especially since the film’s details are still in the dark.

Playing Cosmo the Space Dog in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

But in a recent interview with DiscussingFilm, Bakalova shared new details about her latest role as MCU’s canine character. While the actress remains mum about how her character will affect the movie, she expressed her delight in being part of the Guardians of the Galaxy family. She mentioned that the franchise “was first love in the MCU” and being a part of it “was a dream come true.” You can read her full statement below:

Yes, I was in mo-cap. I think that’s the only thing I can share so far… it’s been amazing. I’ve been a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside being a fan of Dogme 95, the movement created by Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. Yes, they are two completely different things, but equally important to me. So having the chance to join the family of Marvel and especially the Guardians of the Galaxy, which was my first love in the MCU, was a dream come true. I love seeing all the people excited for Vol. 3, the fans have been so welcoming and warm. It’s truly precious and reminds you why you’re actually doing this kind of work, to make people feel something. I think that’s the biggest gift.

From the actress’ words, we’ve confirmed that Cosmo the Space Dog is another character that will use motion capture like Groot, Rocket, and Howard the Duck. It seems like Bakalova will voice dub Cosmo in the post-production as well. This is different from Rocket’s case as Bradley Cooper voices the character while Sean Gunn is in the on-set mo-cap for the character. Sean Gunn doubles as Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

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Maria Bakalova on working with James Gunn

In the same interview, Maria Bakalova actress of Cosmo the Space Dog also spoke about how it was working with James Gunn for the first time. She was all praises about her experience working with the director, saying that ” want to work with him for the rest of life.”

I love James Gunn, I want to work with him for the rest of my life! He’s just everything. I don’t even know how to say it, he’s so talented. He’s so funny. He’s so fun. He’s such a great human being. What an example of a person that I’d want to be like. His dedication to his craft is admirable as well. It’s just phenomenal. I’ve been very lucky to meet him and to have a chance to work with him. I want to do it again and again. (laughs)

She ends the interview by saying, “Cosmo created a world for . So hope people will root for her and enjoy it.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit the cinemas on May 5, 2023. 

Paul is many things. He's a fan of anime, superheroes, and everything in between. He dedicates his downtime to annoying the heck out of his cats and dog.