The 2024 Oscars was a star-studded night, but it was a 7 year old Border Collie that stole the show! Messi joined host Jimmy Kimmel in the audience where he cheered on the winners of Hollywood’s biggest night. The pup attended the Academy Award Nominees Luncheon, and the red carpet, where he posed alongside Hollywood’s biggest stars. Messi participated in the ceremony and even clapped when Robert Downey Jr. accepted his award for Best Supporting Actor, with a set of extra paws and the help of another human.
Messi also closed the show when he pretended to urinate on Matt’s Damon’s star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as a joke for Kimmel’s long-time “feud” with the actor.
“Messi, who, even though he’s a dog, may have given the performance of the year in Anatomy of a Fall. Messi has on overdose scene, if you’ve seen it you’ve known it.” Kimmel said during his opening monologue.
But who is Messi, and how did this dog rise to fame?
Messi rose to fame after his scene-stealing role in Anatomy of a Fall, as Snoop, in which he portrays a guide dog that nearly overdoses on pain medication.
Messi’s work was first recognized at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023. While the film took home the Palme d’Or, Messi received an award of his own- The Palm Dog; the unofficial award for canine performance in the festival’s selected films. The jury gave Messi the award after stating his performance “covers the gambit… one of the best we’ve ever seen,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
Now, Messi has become a symbol for the movie as he’s attended the awards circuit, culminating with his presence at the Academy Awards.
“There were a few interviews in France, but what we’ve been experiencing here in America, it’s beyond anything we anticipated. It’s probably the maximum that you can accomplish in this field.”, Messi’s trainer and owner Laura Martin Contini told The Hollywood Reporter in February, 2024.
After months of training, Messi spent 22 days filming on the Anatomy of a Fall set, Contini explained to The Wildest.
“There was such a great team, and he was everyone’s favorite on set, and we really took the time on each of his scenes.” she said.
Director Justine Triet told The Hollywood Reporter that Messy “was 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.”
When Messi is not working, he lives with Contini in a suburb outside of Paris. Contini who adapted Messi when he was a young pup, is a professional trainer who works with other animals in addition to her own dog.
“It really became, for me, a job of passion,” she told The Wildest. “I’m fascinated by the way in which you can really learn to understand animal behavior and communicate with them in ways that are nonverbal and get to know the specific personalities of each of the dogs.”