Playing a homeless veteran fraught with post-traumatic stress syndrome is not what Steven Weber expected of a Hallmark Movie Channel acting assignment. However, that's just the role the "Brothers and Sisters" and "Wings" star wound up with in his April 28 drama "Duke."

"It's not the standard Hallmark fare. It was a deeper, darker Hallmark — but still appeals, I think, to their core audience," Weber says. Taken from real life, "Duke" is the story of a troubled veteran and his faithful companion of 10 years, a border collie named Duke — and the unexpected chain of events set in motion when the dog falls ill.

"I'd been playing mostly bad guys in suits in recent years, so it was a chance to go deeper," notes the actor. "It was a great role full of amazing opportunities, selfishly speaking, to chew the scenery a little bit and share scenes with an amazing dog."

Unfazed by the old axiom that actors should avoid scenes with kids or dogs, Weber found himself working with two canines in the title role. "Zeek was the dog that played Duke 90 percent of the time. He performed beautifully, a true professional," Weber reports. "His trainers were invariably running off-screen and prompting him. It was interesting. Of course, he is a dog, and you have to be very patient; he didn't hit the target all the time. But thankfully there were a few instances when the camera was running and caught some genuine connection between him and I, which was really nice."

Weber considers himself "a dog lover, but indirectly. I have two children, 9 and 11, who are beginning to bug my wife and me for a dog. But the lifestyle — our work has had us going all over the country, and it wouldn't be fair to leave a dog." Right now, the boys are apparently making do with "the frog we bought at The Sharper Image that stays underwater for two years" — which sounds like a real dud as a pet, if you ask us. "No, it's not," Weber insists, deadpan. "They feed him, and he has a nice view, and it's a lovely deal."

But he admits his sons are gaining ground in their dog lobbying. The fact that they heard all about "Duke" and Zeek during production — but couldn't join Weber on location because of school — "is something they're really using against me."

BROTHER ACT: The late Richard Harris' sons Jared ("Mad Men") and Jamie ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes") are pooling their talents on a feature that Jamie wrote. "We're working on it. We're trying to get it produced," reports Jared. "It's a low-budget comedy set in Venice, Calif., about two friends. It's a little bit like 'Superbad' — two friends keeping each other back — but these guys should know better. They're in their 30s," he says. "It's good fun. Jamie writes really brilliant dialogue."

Jamie would like to see their brother Damian direct the movie, which he's calling "Down Dog." According to him, if all works well and the three of them get to make the film, "We'll probably never speak to each other again."

THE INDUSTRY EYE: With "True Blood's" Alexander Skarsgard set to star in Matt and Ross Duffer's "Hidden" horror-thriller — about a family hiding in an underground shelter to escape a mysterious outbreak — attention has turned to subsidiary roles. The Duffers have called for a casting search for a child actress for the important part of the daughter who is trapped in a bomb shelter with her terrified parents for more than 300 days, with only her doll for a friend. They want an unknown Caucasian girl, age 9 to 11 to play 7 to 9. Production starts this summer on the Warner Bros. film.

Soon to go into production: an untitled mockumentary about two not so bright filmmaker wannabes who'll do anything to get financing for their movie —including robbing convenience stores. Don't think that hasn't crossed the minds of desperate producers here and there. It's a half-hour pilot for cable, shooting in Dallas.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.