Photo: Banfield Pet Hospital
Kenan Thompsonis taking his latest role to a new level.
The 43-year-oldSaturday Night Livestar is playing a veterinarian in the upcomingClifford the Big Red Dogmovie — premiering Nov. 10 — and is channeling this fictional character into a real-life push to expand the veterinary field.
Based on Norman Bridwell’s beloved children’s book series, the Clifford live-action adaptationtells the taleof the special bond between a girl and a huge dog she receives as a puppy as a gift from an animal rescuer. In the film, Thompson plays a Banfield veterinarian who takes care of the oversized canine.
After filming the movie, the actor and comedian spoke to PEOPLE about teaming up withBanfield Pet Hospital— which has over 1,000 locations across the country — to learn more about veterinary medicine and the company’s mission to add diversity to the field.
Banfield Pet Hospital
“There’s a serious gap in the diversity range, and Banfield is trying to spread that word, but also trying to get people involved,” Thompson says. “You know, that perked up my ears immediately. The fact that they’re actually taking steps to kind of help people get through their education to get down that road is pretty amazing to me. So, whatever I can do to kind of help.”
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Thompson says he was surprised at how receptive the students were to the initiative, joking, “I didn’t know if I was cool enough still to kind of hold a young high school audience’s attention.”
“The kids were very responsive, and they had a full carnival day with a petting zoo and stuff like that, to kind of just reignite that love for pets that we all probably had when we were little,” he adds.
Thompson was also able to introduce the organization’s new “NextVet” initiative, which gives high school students the opportunity for paid internships that work to “diversify and strengthen the talent pipeline” for the veterinary field.
The internships are part of the hospital’s $10 million commitment toward supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and strengthening educational pathways for current and future veterinary professionals. Thompson says since partnering with Banfield, he’s been impressed with the organization’s hands-on approach.
“They really care about what they do. And it’s showing in the fact that they’re taking the initiative to bring people into the field,” he tells PEOPLE. “They could just, you know, keep their hospitals running and keep things the way they are, but they want to spread wings and be more inclusive, and I’m all about that.”
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Banfield’s “NextVet” programopens its application processon Oct. 27 for students 16+ who reside in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland-Vancouver, and Washington D.C.
Thompson’sClifford the Big Red Dogbounds into theaters and onto Paramount+ on Nov. 10.
source: people.com
