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The French movie Anatomy of a Fall featured some of the most riveting performances of the year. One was that of actress Sandra Hüller, who nabbed an Oscar nomination. The other was the work of a 7-year-old border collie named Messi. Like any other star from an acclaimed movie, he has been seen at press events and award ceremonies, melting the hearts of everyone he meets. A charming star on the rise, Messi was even seen “clapping” in the audience at the Oscars. However, a behind-the-scenes look reveals a lot more about this funny little clip that quickly played on the internationally televised program.
As talented as he is, Messi is not human and needed some help. The adorable pooch was he was aided with an extra pair of legs to get the clapping effect just right. And as some newly released behind-the-scenes footage shows, his clapping scene was even pre-taped. Since he was barking a lot, the short segment had to be taped before the actual ceremony. “Our plan was to have him sitting in the audience throughout the show, including my monologue,” Jimmy Kimmel shared on his talk show following the ceremony. “But then turns out, we did a rehearsal, the dog was barking like crazy the whole time because he's a dog, which was making it really hard to tell jokes.”
Still, Messi is such a natural that he had us for a minute there. And it's no wonder, given all his acting training. Messi's path to Hollywood began back in 2018, when Laura Martin Contini, his mom and trainer adopted him from her neighbors, who considered him to be the “ugliest” of the litter. The family's children had named him Messi after Leo Messi, the Argentine soccer player. And so, he became the first dog Martin Contini ever trained to be a movie star.
While they landed some roles in commercials, they struggled to break through. Messi was deemed a “misunderstod artist.” They made it to the final round of callbacks, but they couldn't make it to the silver screen “because of his rather particular gaze,” Martin Contini told IndieWire. “Something in his gaze or his eyes or something. Anatomy of a Fall is really the biggest film he’s ever made. He had one chance, and he gave it his all.”
In the movie, Messi plays Snoop, the guide dog of an 11-year-old boy named Daniel, played by Milo Machado-Graner. In one of the key moments of the movie, Messi has to remain still and play dead. To get it right, Martin Contini and Messi trained every day for two months before spending 22 days filming on the Anatomy of a Fall set. “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,” Martin Contini told The Wildest.
His hard work paid off. In May 2023, he was awarded Palm Dog, the unofficial award for canine performances shown at the Cannes Film Festival, with the jury saying that his performance “covers the gambit… one of the best we’ve ever seen.” For Justine Triet, director of Anatomy of a Fall, Messi was so much more than a dog on set. “[He] 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,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Messi's luck has shifted, with Martin Contini sharing that he is getting calls “because now he is a star.” He is also being recognized by his celebrity peers, like Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and Billie Eilish, who were delighted to meet him over the last few weeks. His fame reached new heights when he was seen at the Oscars ceremony, clapping for one of his fellow actors, even if it wasn't a live performance. After all, he's not a theater actor; he's a movie star.
Messi, the dog from the French movie Anatomy of a Fall, has been seen at press events and award ceremonies, melting the hearts of everyone he meets.
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To get his scenes right in the movie, Messi trained every day for two months before spending 22 days filming on the Anatomy of a Fall set.
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Following his incredible performance, the border collie was a regular at award shows, including the Oscars, where he yet again stole the show with his “clapping.”
Though the truth is he had to be aided with an extra pair of legs to create the effect.
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In fact, his scene-stealing clapping at the Oscars was actually pre-taped!
Messi the dog from Anatomy of a Fall was not due to attend the #Oscars but there is a look alike in front of a camera in the Dolby filing a segment with a small audience. pic.twitter.com/cyXwm3z7vU
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) March 10, 2024
As Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel explains on his talk show: “Our plan was to have him sitting in the audience throughout the show, including my monologue. But then turns out, we did a rehearsal, the dog was barking like crazy the whole time because he's a dog, which was making it really hard to tell jokes.”
Messi and Laura: Instagram
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