Sumith Prasad
Simon Cellan Jones’s biographical film ‘Arthur the King’ concludes with Arthur, after arriving in the United States with Michael Light, nearly dying due to his severe back injury. The veterinary professionals ask Michael to say goodbye to the beloved dog in case he doesn’t make it. However, Arthur survives the wound and becomes a part of the adventure racer’s family. In real life, Arthur spent years with Mikael Lindnord, the inspiration behind Michael and a famed Swedish athlete. Even though the doctors asked Lindnord to count his days with Arthur, he was able to share his life with his canine companion until December 2020!
The Tragic Death of Arthur
Arthur passed away on December 8, 2020, after suffering from a malignant tumor. He was able to live with Mikael Lindnord for six years. The retired adventure racer revealed the tragic news through his social media handles. “Arthur has passed away. I can’t breathe, and I can’t see because of all my tears,” he shared. “I will miss your snoring beside the bed, your happy smile, your hair on the floor, and on all my clothes. And I will cherish the memory of when Philippa dressed you up as a doll and Thor took his first step holding your fur like a wrestler. […] I will always remember your last kiss. Rest in peace, Arthur,” he added.
After arriving in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, where the Lindnord family lives, from Ecuador, Arthur had a cherished life. Upon landing in the European country, he had to remain in quarantine for a hundred and twenty days. The period was followed by a dental surgery and another operation to treat his wound. At the time, Arthur was likely around five to seven years old. After the medical procedures, he was highly active. He even participated in the Wings for Life World Run held in Kalmar, Sweden, in May 2015. Arthur passed away while the production department was gearing up for the filming of ‘Arthur the King.’
Lindnord joined the film’s production while he was mourning Arthur’s death. “I saw how genuinely affected Mikael was,” Jones told ComicBook. “I mean, it happened shortly before we started shooting. Mikael called me. For a moment, he was very destabilized and wondering what the point of everything was, but as he said earlier, his motto is you don’t give up. Ever. It renewed his purpose, I think, and therefore I picked that up as well. I think it became even more important to get the film as right as we could,” he added. Still, the former racer was not willing to stay away from the film.
Lindnord believes that ‘Arthur the King’ will motivate the viewers to find their own Arthurs. Therefore, he had to take part in the production to train the actors. “I raced for 19 years to meet him. The thing that we see here is that Arthur is a hero for other Arthurs. I think that’s the main question of this movie: Is next time you pass an Arthur, maybe that’s your Arthur?” Lindnord said in the same ComicBook interview.
Ukai is With His Trainer Now
Like Arthur, Ukai was also once a stray dog. At the age of four months, he was brought to the Humboldt County Animal Shelter in 2019. Since Ukai appeared very similar to a rescued dog, which eventually became a part of the cast of Tom Hanks’ science fiction film ‘Finch,’ Redwood Pals Rescue contacted the people who had the latter to inform them about the former. “He came to the shelter as a puppy and bore a strong resemblance to the other dog. I contacted my friends who had Seamus and let them know that I had a puppy,” Mara Segal of Redwood Pals Rescue told the Times-Standard.
After short stays at the animal shelter and a foster home, Ukai ended up in the house of Seamus’ trainer in Southern California, where he remains until today. He is a mix of three dog breeds: Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, and Bouvier des Flandres. During the filming of ‘Arthur the King,’ Mark Wahlberg grew close with the dog enough to consider adopting him. However, his efforts to do so weren’t successful. “Oh my god, I tried to bribe the trainer to sell me the dog [Ukai],” the actor told People. “I offered her whatever she would want. But, of course, that bond is not something that you can separate. I just fell in love with him,” he added.
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