Messi, the dog from Anatomy Of A Fall, is a celebrity to celebrities

We all get a little starstruck sometimes. For us boring regular people, that would probably happen were we to meet any of this year’s illustrious human Oscar nominees, from Emma Stone, to Ryan Gosling, and beyond. But for those people, seeing each other just isn’t that exciting. They’re old coworkers after all, and who gets starry-eyed seeing their coworkers for the hundredth time? No, celebrities want to spend their time greeting a real celebrity. Celebrities want to meet the dog.

Messi, the seven-year-old border collie who plays Snoop in Anatomy Of A Fall, was the clear VIP of this year’s Academy Award Nominees Luncheon. Traveling all the way from France to Los Angeles with his trainer for the event, the hype for Messi among Hollywood’s best and brightest was not unlike the hype among those in the music industry for Beyoncé at the Grammys. Everyone wanted to meet him. Not only did Messi get his own red carpet moment, but he was also photographed with Billie Eilish, America Ferrera, Bradley Cooper, Mark Ronson, Ryan Gosling, and more.

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Messi, who expertly played a key witness in the murder trial for Sandra Hüller’s character in the film, didn’t cow in press interviews either. While he didn’t exactly answer any of Variety’s questions out loud, his eyes really said it all. He loved being in the movie but he doesn’t have his acceptance speech written yet. Better to really take in the moment on the day—good thinking, Messi!

Even Emma Stone praised Messi’s exceptional improv ability, as he apparently pulled off a fake death stunt in the room in front of all those big names. (“It was crazy!” she gushed.) While it seems a little pander-y to show off like that in front of Greta Gerwig, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and the like, we can’t fault the dog for trying to get ahead. It’s a cutthroat business, and you’re only as good as your last gig. He’s got to lock down that next part somehow!

Even if Messi’s little in-room audition doesn’t directly pan out, the border collie clearly has an illustrious career ahead of him. He’s already won Cannes’ revered Palm Dog award for canine performers and has been praised by both director Justine Triet, who called him “not just another character or some animal running around [but] as much a part of the film’s ensemble as any of the other actors” (via The Hollywood Reporter) and star Sandra Hüller, who echoed Triet’s sentiment that Snoop was “as much a character as any other.” The Anatomy Of A Fall team even gave him a standing ovation on his last day of shooting (after a total of 22 days on set), as he so obviously deserves.

So why wasn’t Messi nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars? Probably because Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and co. were too afraid of the competition if we’re being honest. Chin up, buddy. Your time is coming.