Messi, the dog star who won performance of the year for ‘Anatomy of a Fall’

One of the greatest performances of the year went to this adorable Border Collie named Messi. The talented pup trained for two months to star in the Oscar-nominated film ‘Anatomy of a Fall,’ and it seems the effort paid off, as Messi received the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes, for his role of Snoop, a service dog who helps his vision-impaired owner, played by Milo Machado Green.

One of the most important scenes in the film required Messi to play dead, as revealed by his owner Laura Martin Contini. “What we did need to work on throughout was how to be able to carry him and have him remain in this play acting of being inert,” Contini explained to Variety, adding that “Most of the preparation was very intensive for two months before.”

“This was something I added over time by working every day. It started on the bed, and it was just how much disturbance was this dog going to be able to withstand whilst remaining limp,“ she said about the preparation.

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During another interview with IndieWire, Messi’s owner shared more about the training. “It had to happen in steps. First, the simple laying down and having his head kind of immobile. [I] started there and then [we worked on] lifting the head and just letting it fall back without resistance.”

“It’s a true profession. Any time you see a dog or an animal on screen, it’s the result of a long process of preparation, even if the dog is just laying down,” she said to the publication,“ revealing that the now-acclaimed star ”gave it his all.“

Messi is now being requested for other roles, however, Contini says she has one concern. “I’m a little bit scared that he’s just going to be typecast in roles where he has to die,” she said to Variety. “These are the kind of roles we’re being asked to do now.”