SEE: How French dog stole the show at the Oscars

While Oppenheimer may have taken home the most statuettes at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, there was one attendee that was, arguably, even more of a hit – a French border collie named Messi.

The seven-year-old black and white canine played Snoop, a guide dog for a blind boy in French drama Anatomy of a Fall, which won the best original screenplay award for its writers Justine Triet and Arthur Harari. The film was nominated for five awards in total, including best film and best director for Triet.

Messi jetted in for the ceremony from Paris with his trainer, Laura Martin. He had his own plush red seat and sported a dapper black bow tie for the occasion.

His attendance came as a surprise after it was believed he would not be attending the ceremony.

Read more: Oscar-nominated Anatomy of a Fall is masterclass in multilingual life

One of the highlights of the night was when the camera cut to the audience applauding and showed Messi politely clapping his paws.

While Messi is without doubt an incredible actor, his skills did not stretch quite that far – the shot was made possible thanks to a discreetly placed man under Messi’s seat and a pair of fake paws (see picture below).

Ryan Gosling, who was nominated for best supporting actor for his role as Ken in Barbie, looked delighted to see Messi applauding.

If there had been an award for best dog, Messi would surely have been the top contender. Even the Academy said Messi had won the award for “bestest boi” in a tweet in February after Messi attended the traditional nominees lunch.

Breakout at Cannes

Messi’s rise to fame began at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where Anatomy of a Fall won the Palme d’Or and Messi received a special award – Palm Dog.

The acclaim is all the more impressive considering Anatomy of a Fall was Messi’s first film role, and the first time his trainer had worked as a film coach.

“I started my job as a film coach with Messi, he was my actor dog crash test,” Laura Martin told Le Monde.

Before Anatomy of a Fall, Messi had appeared in a few adverts and music videos.

His riveting performance as the guide dog for the son of main character Sandra includes a heart-wrenching “playing dead” moment with many emotive close ups of the dog's face.

Hollywood takeover

After the success of Cannes, Messi then rode the wave of popularity all the way to Hollywood, working the awards season press circuit as well as any seasoned actor.

He rubbed shoulders with stars including Bradley Cooper at the annual nominees lunch, and even irked some awards strategists who complained he was winning Anatomy of a Fall unfair advantage during Oscars voting, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

French media delighted in their unexpected takeover of the Oscars. Le Monde wrote of Messi’s “irresistible popularity” while the French version of fashion magazine Elle dubbed the canine “the most fashionable animal in the United States and France”.

International reaction

Messi’s surprise cameo at the Oscars went viral around the world, with many major outlets naming him as a highlight of the entire ceremony.

The BBC said Messi “stole the show”, while the New York Times dubbed Messi the “sweetest good boy” in its roundup of highlights.

Best supporting dog?

Messi’s rise to fame has prompted some to call for a special Oscars category to recognise animal talent, with one kennel club arguing it is not too late to crown him best supporting dog.

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