Rescued by Rover was predominantly a family affair Cecil Hepworth's wife, Margaret, wrote the scenario and played the role of the mother on screen.Hepworth himself directed, painted the scenery and acted as the father. Their child was the baby on screen, and the part of Rover was played by the family dog, Blair. Two professional actors were paid to appear, Sebastian Smith as the soldier, and his wife as the old woman who stole the baby. The two actors were paid half a guinea each; Hepworth would recall "We couldn't get them for less".The film is often cited as the first film to have used paid actors.Completing the cast was Mabel Clark, who had previously played Alice in Hepworth's version of Alice in Wonderland, as the child's nurse. Clark was also the cutting room assistant.