Messi, the dog from Anatomy of a Fall, will not be attending the Academy Awards

The countdown to the Academy Awards is winding down, and while many are debating about who got snubbed and why, one of the stars of this year’s Best Picture nominees is capturing the hearts of everyone. Messi, the border collie who stole scenes in the film Anatomy of a Fall, would continue to steal the spotlight — this time, from Hollywood A-listers — at the annual Academy Awards nominee luncheon. The dog’s trainer/owner, Laura Martin, would glow about Messi’s experience at the event, “The big moment was with Billie Eilish, who bonded with Messi for almost 10 minutes. 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.”

Not to mention, the pooch also rubbed elbows with Ryan Gosling in a viral video where the Barbie star was quite taken by Messi. But alas, despite all the connections the French canine made in Tinsel Town, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Messi will not be in attendance for the Academy Awards this Sunday. Martin recollected the journey of her four-legged actor, “All of this attention began at Cannes. There were a few interviews in France, but what we’ve been experiencing here in America — with the attention to this dog and his acting — it’s beyond anything we anticipated. It’s probably the maximum that you can accomplish in this field.”

Messi lives with his human, Martin, in Paris and the trip to Hollywood would be the only brief appearance he’d be able to make. Plus, although he made a splash with his on-screen performance, Messi is not actually nominated for an award. However, despite that, it would not be a factor to completely rule out an appearance at the industry event as Uggie, the adorable dog from 2011’s Best Picture winner The Artist would show up to the red carpet with a little bow tie on and even got to be on stage while the director, Michel Hazanavicius, made his acceptance speech.