One of the viral moments from this year's Oscars wasn't all it seemed to be.
Context
During coverage of the Academy Awards, the camera cut to Messi the dog, who appeared in the five-time nominated movie Anatomy of a Fall. He was seemingly sitting in the audience and clapping his paws after Robert Downey Jr. won the Oscar for best supporting actor.
What We Know
It turned out it was not a live shot, but rather a pre-recorded clip and, according to one reporter, it may not even have been the real Messi.
Chris Gardener from The Hollywood Reporter shared a video to X, formerly Twitter, showing a small group of people sitting in the audience surrounding a dog inside the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars take place.
A camera crew is seen filming the people and the dog clapping. It is apparent that someone is lying on the ground holding up fake paws to make them look like Messi's.
"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," wrote Gardner.
Newsweek contacted the Academy by email for comment.
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
Views
The cutaway to Messi was one of the viral moments of the awards ceremony, and some people were disappointed to learn it may have been a fake live shot.
"messi's scenes were pre recorded they fooled us 😭 #oscars," wrote @gagasyuyi on X.
Another person, @slayyrae_ replied: "i just know it wasnt real lmaoo."
While @Kit_Gallagher said: "Aww, that makes me happy, though, because it could have been super stressful for a dog, even one so well trained."
Messi was so popular on the night he even featured in host Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue.
What's Next?
It isn't known what's next for Messi's career, but he has earned some well-deserved rest after featuring prominently during the awards season and promotion campaign for Anatomy of a Fall.
The movie, about a woman who is suspected of killing her husband by pushing him out of a window, was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture. It didn't win any awards, but did scoop the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. Messi himself even managed to win the Palm Dog award.
Update 03/11/2024 at 3:41 a.m. ET. This article was updated to include additional information.
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