In a night filled with stars, surprises, and a naked John Cena, Messi the Dog stood out at the Oscars. In particular, a moment in which the dog appeared to be clapping went viral for all the right reasons.
The camera cut to Messi clapping with his paws at the announcement of Best Picture nominees. Messi starred in the film Anatomy of a Fall, which garnered several nominations. It ended up taking home Oscar gold for best original screenplay.
Exactly how the Oscars pulled off the stunt remains unknown. It’s likely a puppeteer actually did the clapping for the dog. However, Messi certainly looked the part, wearing a bow tie. Host Jimmy Kimmel even gave Messi a shout out during the ceremony.
“I haven’t seen a French actor eat vomit like that since Gérard Depardieu,” Kimmel quipped.
Messi the Dog Is a Star
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, dog trainer Laura Martin opened up about Messi’s time in the spotlight. Martin explained to the outlet that Cannes helped put the film into its trajectory at the Oscars. However, it also had the side effect of making Messi a doggy star. The film won the Palme d’Or, and Messie earned the nickname as the Palm Dog.
“All of this attention began at Cannes,” Martin told The Hollywood Reporter.
Martin explained the exposure that she, Messi, and others involved in the film felt.
“There were a few interviews in France,” Martin continued, “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.”
That’s how Messi ended up in Hollywood, the place of dreams, rubbing elbows with actors. Messi’s cred certainly went up, and he can count Bradley Cooper among his colleagues.
“The big moment was with Billie Eilish, who bonded with Messi for almost 10 minutes,” said Martin. “They were hugging and petting and they really had a vibe. Then Bradley Cooper bumped into him in the hallway. The dog went right to him, so they also had a connection.”
However, not everyone has been a fan of Messi and having the dog at the Oscars. Kimmel, who shared the stage with a donkey for a bit from the film Banshees of Inisherin, expressed skepticism.
It’s hard to top a donkey,” Kimmel told THR. “And really, the most notable thing that dog did was have a drug overdose and eat vomit. I don’t know if the Oscars has the appetite for that.