Messi, the canine star of ‘Anatomy of a Fall,’ stole the show at the Oscars

While the Oscars are typically a night to celebrate the biggest names in Hollywood, the celebrities at this year’s show were a bit overshadowed by a newcomer with an adorable furry face and four paws.

Looking dapper in a bow tie, “Anatomy of a Fall” star Messi the dog had his very own seat at this year’s ceremony.

The border collie from France plays the family dog, Snoop, in the film, which was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

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The film follows a woman accused of murdering her husband, while their half-blind son is the main witness to the incident. Messi has a particularly upsetting scene in the film, which Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel called an “incredible” performance.

“Even though he’s a dog, [he] may have given the performance of the year in ‘Anatomy of a Fall,'” Kimmel said during his monologue.

We’ll choose not to go into detail about the scene to avoid spoilers for those that haven’t yet seen the film, but Kimmel mentions it quickly in the clip below, so avoid playing it if you don’t want to know what happens.

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It was originally reported by several news outlets that Messi would not be attending the ceremony, so his appearance may have come as a surprise to some guests, many of whom had previously met him at the annual nominees luncheon last month.

After a clip of actor Ryan Gosling meeting Messi at the luncheon went viral, Messi’s trainer and mom Laura Martin told The Hollywood Reporter he bonded with a few celebrities that day.

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“The big moment was with Billie Eilish, who bonded with Messi for almost 10 minutes,” Martin said. “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.”

While Messi may be new to the Oscar scene, he is not the first pooch to attend the ceremony.

Uggie, from the film “The Artist,” was on the stage when the movie won Best Picture in 2012, and Kimmel even brought “Jenny” the donkey on stage during last year’s show as a nod to Jenny, the donkey from “Banshees of Inisherin.”

Messi didn’t win an Oscar last night, but it’s safe to say we all hope to see him in more roles on the big screen in the future.