Laura Dern's new movie Year of The Dog could not have come at a better time for the actress - the script arrived the days after she had put her own pooch to sleep. The star jumped at the chance to appear in the movie, which revolves around a secretary's attempts to get over her beloved pet's death, and found the whole filming process to be a therapy session.

Dern says, "I was sent the script the day after I put my dog to sleep. If I had to serve coffee on the set there was no way I was saying no to this movie. You're just broken and devastated when your dog dies and you feel like the rest of the world can never relate, but most of us have had the experience of the loss of an animal."

And Dern admits she's really proud of the touching new film, which also stars Molly Shannon and Peter Skarsgaard. She adds, "It affected me deeply. Anyone who sees this movie will run to the nearest pound to rescue a dog or a cat immediately."

-Laura Dern Pictures

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)