Messi, a seven-year-old border collie, has seen his star rise and rise since Anatomy of a Fall premiered last May in Cannes, when people first got a whiff of his stunning portrayal of Snoop. Not since Uggie, the bon vivant Jack Russell terrier who dazzled in 2011’s The Artist (may he rest in peace), has tinseltown — nay, the world — been so enamored with a canine thespian. The Hollywood Reporter thought they had an exclusive that Messi would be watching the 96th Oscars from his Parisian home. Ha, as if he’d confirm his whereabouts with the trades! Much to our delight, Messi breezed into town incognito and filmed a couple pre-recorded bits with host Jimmy Kimmel. Enjoying a well-placed seat on the aisle, the handsome, bow tie-clad Messi could be seen throughout the show applauding from the audience. What a good boy.
Sporting a black bow tie, Messi was shown in videos seemingly clapping among the star-studded audience during the opening monologue, a moment that quickly went viral.
The clip, however, appears to have been pre-recorded in a tedious operation that involved fake paws and what some have speculated is a lookalike dog. (Messi’s trainer Laura Martin posted a photo of her holding the fake paws in front of the Dolby Theatre after the ceremony, and it’s not clear whether Messi was able to attend the actual ceremony, which he was previously reportedly set to skip.) But the stunt has only fueled the fervor for Messi, who has just wrapped up a breakout awards season during which he served as a fan-favorite mascot for Anatomy of a Fall, which won Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.
It all started at the Cannes Film Festival last May, when Messi was given the Palm Dog, an unofficial prize recognizing the best canine performance — a notable win in an extra competitive year — while Anatomy of a Fall took home the Palme d’Or, the coveted top official prize.
Since then, attention on Messi has surged in Hollywood, taking even his trainer by surprise.
“There were a few interviews in France,” Martin told the Hollywood Reporter in February, “but what we’ve been experiencing here in America — with the attention to this dog and his acting — it’s beyond anything we anticipated. It’s probably the maximum that you can accomplish in this field.”
During his travels to Los Angeles over the past few weeks, Messi got down to serious business. In February, he attended a live reading of the Anatomy of a Fall screenplay, where he reprised his role as Snoop, opposite guest stars like Bob Odenkirk and Olivia Wilde. Then, he hobnobbed with more celebrities at the Oscars nominees lunch in February, spotted interacting with Bradley Cooper, Billie Eilish, and Ryan Gosling. (His appearance, however, stirred disgruntlement among other companies, which argued that the canine’s attendance gave Anatomy of a Fall an advantage over other nominated films during the Academy Awards voting window, according to the Hollywood Reporter.)
Before the Oscars ceremony began on Sunday, the show’s host Jimmy Kimmel sat down with Messi to run through his lines, as shown in a promotional video posted on Kimmel’s Instagram account, with Messi barking — seemingly in approval — at a joke about dog years. Messi also made time to help Kimmel continue his famous feud with Matt Damon, with a short video aired at the very end of the ceremony showing Messi peeing on Damon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Messi’s next role is reportedly in a French television show, but he seemed to be getting used to the Hollywood lifestyle. When he was not rehearsing, networking with other A-listers, or participating in celebrity pranks, Messi was seen enjoying Venice beach.
Can you imagine being a grown a** person, lucky enough to be nominated for an Academy Award, and actually complaining that a dog was an unfair advantage?! It makes me so barking mad! And Messi isn’t just a dog (though dogs are more than kenough). He’s an Actor (and I’m saying that as “ac-TOR”). He’s basically the Brando of border collies. He won the frickin’ Palm Dog at Cannes!! And for those of you who vaguely remember Jane Fonda throwing the Palm d’Or winning scroll at last year’s winner, yes, that was now-Oscar winner Justine Triet she threw it at. If only Jane had thrown a stick-shaped object at Messi! He would’ve been on it so fast…
While Anatomy of a Fall was a dramatic turn for Messi, I do hope he gets the chance to work his comedy chops. Judging by photos of him from the Oscar Nominees Luncheon, the boy was born for screwball. Side fashion note: I think the blue bow tie at the luncheon suits him better than the black one he wore for the show. The blue brings out his eyes, whereas the black gets a bit lost in his coat pattern.
And the Oscar for bestest boi goes to Messi from ‘Anatomy of a Fall.’ #Oscars pic.twitter.com/V5a1JCyACs
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 13, 2024
“Anatomy of a Fall” star Messi appears to pee on Matt Damon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. https://t.co/UNgGySGz3r pic.twitter.com/yMXgsvpiip
— Variety (@Variety) March 11, 2024
messi from anatomy of a fall as a puppy oh my god my heart pic.twitter.com/7RVd1ccsFJ
— Cris (@lionesspike) March 11, 2024
you know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation… pic.twitter.com/PNc7m1ArHJ
— Homo Honey (@DixPeyton) March 10, 2024
clear the searches it was pre-recorded he’s not an rdj stan pic.twitter.com/ltKtRFRMFL https://t.co/o719sPFr8I
— alexa la cerva (@diegoIunas) March 11, 2024