LOS ANGELES: Messi the dog did attend the Oscars after all. Sporting a black bow tie, Messi was shown in videos seemingly clapping among the star-studded audience during the opening monologue.
The breakout star of Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” was rumored to have been off the list, but just a few minutes into Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue Sunday night the camera cut to the 7-year-old border collie in a prime aisle seat near the stage.
There was a little bit of movie magic happening, however. Associated Press photographer Chris Pizzello said that about 45 minutes before the show, when guests were starting to file into the Dolby Theatre, cameras were filming Messi in the spot that was later used as a “cut in” reaction shot.
As for the clapping paws, Pizzello said a member of the crew was also helping make that memorable cutaway happen. (A human hand and fake paws can be seen in one of Pizzello's shots of the moment.)
Messi did not, however, appear to actually be in the theater for the duration of show. Perhaps he snuck out early to relax at a viewing party instead.
Messi was also seen rehearsing his lines with the host of the night Jimmy Kimmel. The latter gave him a shoutout in his opening monologue. “Even though he’s a dog, Messi may have given the performance of the year in Anatomy of a Fall. He has an overdose scene. I haven’t seen a French actor eat vomit like that since Gerard Depardue,” Kimmel said.
After the show ended, cameras showed Messi peeing on actor Matt Damon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and running off. A satirical feud between Damon–Kimmel has been going on for decades. In the running gag, the two keep taking swipes at each other.
Meanwhile, Messi’s owner and trainer Laura Martin Contini told The Hollywood Reporter about the big moment from the award night. “The big moment was with Billie Eilish, who bonded with Messi for almost 10 minutes,” she said.
Though the dog was not nominated for any Oscars this year, he has been a fixture during awards season, stealing the spotlight at every stop including the nominees luncheon, sharing moments with the likes of Ryan Gosling and Billie Eilish.
He also was awarded the Palm Dog at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
The talented canine has been hailed as the star of the French courtroom drama. Justine Triet's film, which she directed and co-wrote, revolves around Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller), a well-known German novelist who is on trial in France for allegedly pushing her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) to death.
Their blind 11-year-old son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) is caught in the centre of the tumultuous court process and media circus while simultaneously grieving over his father. Daniel and his guide dog Snoop (played by Messi) share a strong bond and are the only two witnesses to Samuel's death.
At the Oscars luncheon in February, Huller told Variety that she is still unsure whether her role was innocent, claiming that "the only innocent creature in the film is the dog."
