Meet the precious pit bull starring as Brad Pitt's dog in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'

WILMINGTON, Delaware – Quentin Tarantino fan Monique Klosowski is pretty sure the director's newest film "Once Upon a Time In Hollywood" will be her favorite.

It's not because it stars both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, or even the film's retro '60s vibe.

It's because her pit bull Sayuri co-stars in the movie, playing Pitt's pet dog Brandy. Sayuri even got to give the heartthrob a few kisses.

So how did this dog from Wilmington dog end up in one of the most anticipated films of the year alongside two of the best-known actors of our generation?

A totally random phone call.

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For 15 years, Monique and husband Matt Klosowski have owned Delaware Red Pit Bulls in Wilmington where they breed, train and work pit bulls. Matt received a cold call in the spring of last year. For the first time in their 15 years as a business, Hollywood had come calling.

At first, he was suspicious. But soon trainers were flying to his home and offering him thousands of dollars for both Sayuri and another dog of theirs, Cerberus, which was used for stunts. The trainers then drove the dogs to California for their big screen moment, wrapping up filming in February.

The film folks initially wouldn't disclose which film the dogs were being used in and the couple assumed it was a small movie. But after they heard trainers refer to someone named "Quentin" involved in the production, they realized that their dogs were going to be in Tarantino's first film since 2015's "The Hateful Eight."

It's been a year-long waiting game for the Klosowskis. And since they still don't know much about the film or how the dogs were used, the couple can barely contain their excitement.

"It's driving us insane," Monique Klosowski says of the film. "I have anxiety just thinking about going to see it. It's overwhelming.

"In the end, we really don't know more than anyone else except that she plays a very significant role in the movie with Brad Pitt and that she is in a big final end scene."

Sayuri, a 3-year-old American pit bull terrier, is already the film's first cast member to win an award for her work.

In May, Tarantino accepted the Palm Dog Award on behalf of 55-pound Sayuri at the annual Cannes Film Festival, where "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" was an official selection. (Sayuri wasn't in attendance, so Tarantino arrived with another dog in her place.)

The award, an annual prize presented by international film critics, is given to the best performance by a canine with past winners including Uggie from "The Artist" in 2011.

The Klosowskis knew cuddle-happy Sayuri could, perhaps, never come back home. "If Brad Pitt wanted the dog, she's his. I'd gladly give Brad Pitt our dog," Matt Klosowski says.

Even though Sayuri didn't go home with Pitt, a little piece of Pitt came back to Delaware.

Not only did the actor send the Klosowskis a pair of framed photos of himself the dog, but Sayuri can now make a rare boast: She's made out with Brad Pitt.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Brad Pitt's cute dog steals the movie