Messi the Dog Steals the Show at Oscars

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Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, newspapers and broadcast, specializing in entertainment, politics, LGBTQ+ and health reporting. Shannon has covered high profile celebrity trials along with industry analysis of all the big trends in media, pop culture and the entertainment business generally. Shannon stories have featured on the cover of the Newsweek magazine and has been published in publications such as, The Guardian, Monocle, The Independent, SBS, ABC, Metro and The Sun. You can get in touch with Shannon by email at s.power@newsweek.com and on X @shannonjpower. Languages: English, Greek, Spanish.


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One of the stars from the Oscar-nominated movie Anatomy of a Fall was a big hit at the Academy Awards.

Context

Messi the dog arrived at the Oscars ceremony sporting a black bow tie and he stole the show when a cut away shot to him in the audience and showed him apparently clapping his paws.

messi the dog on ground
Messi the dog attends the Film Independent Live Read of Justine Triet's "Anatomy of a Fall" on February 14, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. He managed to steal the show at the Oscars. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

What We Know

He played Snoop in the movie and was very popular during the awards season, popping up at numerous promotional events, including the Oscar nominees' luncheon in February.

Host Jimmy Kimmel even referenced the famous pooch in his opening monologue.

"Messi, who even though he's a dog, may have given the performance of the year in Anatomy of a Fall," Kimmel said. "Messi has an overdose scene, if you've seen it you've known it. It's incredible. Honestly I haven't seen a French actor eat his own vomit like that since Gérard Depardieu."

Anatomy of a Fall was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, but it went home without a win. However, it did win the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, with Messi picking up Palm Dog Award.

The movie stars Sandra Hüller as a famous German novelist, Sandra Voyter, who is accused of murdering her husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis).

Views

People watching the Oscars at home loved seeing Messi in the audience and took to X to share their views.

"The cutaway to Messi clapping at the #Oscars is already a top 10 all time #Oscar moment," wrote Matt Neglia, the editor-in-chief of the Next Best Picture website.

YouTuber Tyler Calvert added: "This was the best part of Jimmy Kimmel's monologue #Oscars."

And @bbblanchett added:"MESSI ATTENDED THE OSCARS!!!"

What's Next

Messi's trainer, Laura Martin, opened up on what it was like attending all the glitzy Hollywood events.

"The big moment was with Billie Eilish, who bonded with Messi for almost 10 minutes," she told The Hollywood Reporter after the Oscars luncheon. "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."

Update 03/11/2024 at 2:30 a.m. ET. This article was updated with additional information.

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About the writer

Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, newspapers and broadcast, specializing in entertainment, politics, LGBTQ+ and health reporting. Shannon has covered high profile celebrity trials along with industry analysis of all the big trends in media, pop culture and the entertainment business generally. Shannon stories have featured on the cover of the Newsweek magazine and has been published in publications such as, The Guardian, Monocle, The Independent, SBS, ABC, Metro and The Sun. You can get in touch with Shannon by email at s.power@newsweek.com and on X @shannonjpower. Languages: English, Greek, Spanish.


Writers Page

Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more