Sex And The City Star Maintains A Menagerie
Gilles Marini and his Animal Family
By Michael LaChance
A Dalmation, a hunting dog and twenty chickens peacefully cohabitate — that’s a scene from Gilles Marini’s childhood. The Sex and the City actor’s love for animals began early, surrounded by the marvelous menagerie his parents kept.
His mother, a sort of “Mother Theresa to stray animals”, he tells PET LIFESTYLES, has adopted animals off the street for as long as he can remember. Thanks to her, he and his sister were instilled with a lasting love for animals, which inspired his advocacy for animal rescue and adoption. It’s no wonder then that Marini works closely with esteemed organizations to help save and protect vulnerable animals.
His first pet, at 19, was a French bulldog, a breed he loves for their loving but determined character. And, his family has continued to grow. He now shares his home with chickens, rabbits, lizards, fish, dogs, and cats. He says it’s always interesting having so many different animals living together in the same space. He often comes home to find a chicken casually strutting through the living room.
Marini doesn’t keep any of his animals in cages, so animals and humans alike roam freely through the house. This is a situation that leads to amusing anecdotes. Take for example, the Persian teacup kitten, who drinks exclusively from the fish-bowl (whose occupants, a pair of goldfish, are now ten years old!). He believes animals deserve genuine freedom, rather than being “pets,” or “possessions.” As he shares from the heart, “A bird has wings, it needs to fly.”
“I don’t think they really care,” he says with a laugh when we ask how the animals cope while he’s away on film and TV shoots. “There’s too much love,” he adds, explaining how the house is always bustling with people who love to spend time with the animals. “Papa,” he will often hear when he returns — not from his children, but from the talkative African grey bird perched nearby.
Penelope, the teacup Persian, was a gift for his daughter. To prepare her for life with a tiny new companion, Gilles tells us that one Mother’s Day, he decided to teach his daughter about the hard work that goes into caring for a living being. All day, he acted as though he was a child. “You’re a mother now,” he told her at the end, to her understandable confusion — drawing Penelope out from behind his back as a surprise.
His mother, a sort of “Mother Theresa to stray animals”, he tells PET LIFESTYLES, has adopted animals off the street for as long as he can remember. Thanks to her, he and his sister were instilled with a lasting love for animals, which inspired his advocacy for animal rescue and adoption. It’s no wonder then that Marini works closely with esteemed organizations to help save and protect vulnerable animals.
Recently, Mila, the French Bulldog named in honor of Michael Jackson (sadly this beloved talent passed away the day Mila joined their home), developed a spinal cord cyst that was largely inoperable due to a prior life-saving surgery in which every disk in her body was removed. As the cyst grew, it diminished Mila’s basic bodily functions to the point where she would likely need dialysis. Luckily, while attending an event, Gilles met a man who suggested sublingual CBD to restore Mila’s health in a way that antibiotics and surgery no longer could. Within fifteen minutes of ingesting the CBD Dog Health HEAL Tincture, Mila was up and walking for the first time in months. The change was all but a miracle — though, Marini amends, “not a miracle, just the right treatment.”
Quarantine has brought Marini, his family and their animal companions closer, strengthening already joyous bonds. He hopes that closer contact with animals will teach humans to be kinder, gentler and more respectful to their fellow creatures, to understand how valuable animals are, and to treat them with love and care. Firmly he believes that animals can truly help during this difficult time, and that everyone who can, should adopt a pet. “Adopt rather than buy,” he stresses. After all, Gilles Marini wants to impress upon us, rescuing or fostering an animal in need is a life-changing, enriching experience.
