Allison Janney Calls the Bird in 'I, Tonya' Her 'Favorite Animal Co-Star Ever' — Here's Why

"He angered me a little. It was fun," Allison Janney said of her bird costar in I, Tonya

It took a bird to let Allison Janney‘s fury out of its cage.

The I, Tonya star, who played Tonya Harding’s mom in the film about the controversial ice skater, called the live bird who she shared scenes with her “favorite animal co-star ever” on the 2018 SAG Awards red carpet Sunday — noting that she’s worked with at least a few non-human actors.

“That bird? We fought hard for that screen time, and I was not going to let it take me down,” Janney, 58, said on The PEOPLE, Entertainment Weekly & TNT Official SAG Awards Red Carpet Live Show. “I think in the end, he kind of gave my performance some fuel I didn’t know I had.”

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She added, “He angered me a little. It was fun.”

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Harding’s mother, LaVona Golden, often had her bird on her shoulder when she did interviews in real life, so Janney’s character did the same. And after winning the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture at the Golden Globes, Janney gave the animal a shout-out in her acceptance speech.

Neon; Steve Slocum/AP/REX/Shutterstock

“Of course, I owe this all to a bird named ‘Little Man’ in Georgia,” she joked.

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The Mom star even toldTIME in November that bonding with Little Man on set has inspired her to think about getting a pet.

“I’m thinking of getting a bird now,” Janney said.

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