Dog Wins Acting Award at Astra Film Awards, Beating Ethan Hawke and Alison Brie
At the 9th Annual Astra Film Awards earlier this month, Indy the Dog, the canine star of the horror film Good Boy, won Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller, outperforming a field of human nominees that included Ethan Hawke and Alison Brie.
Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, appears in Good Boy as himself, playing a loyal dog determined to protect his chronically ill owner, Todd (Shane Jensen), from a supernatural presence threatening their rural home. The film also stars Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden, and a Golden Retriever named Max.
Directing that performance was far from straightforward. Speaking previously with Entertainment Weekly, filmmaker Ben Leonberg said principal photography stretched across more than 400 days over three years, largely due to the unpredictability of working with a dog who had no awareness of the camera or the story.
“Controlling his motion was always challenging, and there are times where, what I want him to do is walk into a room and freeze because he sees something alarming — and we’re saying ‘whoa,’ like dog-speak for ‘stop.’ But instead, he just keeps going and appears to plow into the supernatural force or jump up or gleefully run into what is supposed to be the supernatural scary thing.”
That unpredictability, Leonberg noted, was something no human actor would have brought to the role.
“I would say there were times when he would bring an energy so different [than what we needed],” he said. “And again, he doesn’t know he’s in a movie, which is the joy and the challenge of this all.”
Those challenges ultimately paid off. At Friday’s ceremony, Indy claimed the Astra Award in a category that included Ethan Hawke (The Black Phone 2), Alison Brie (Together), Alfie Williams (28 Years Later), Sally Hawkins (Bring Her Back), and Sophie Thatcher (Companion).
The moment was marked with a pre-recorded acceptance message in which Indy appeared wearing a black bow tie as Leonberg accepted the award on his behalf.
“Hi, I’m Ben Leonberg, the director of Good Boy, here with my dog, the goodest boy himself. On behalf of Indy, we are so thrilled to be recognized for his work in a movie he does not totally understand he was in.”
Leonberg used the speech to reflect on what the nomination and win represented for the genre more broadly.
“This award and incredible group of nominees reflects the freedom that horror gives performers — and, in our case, trainers — to play, experiment, and push the boundaries.”
He also described horror as a genre driven by innovation, calling it one that is “fueled by originality and reinvention, and by audiences who are the most eager to see something new” within an ever-changing film landscape.
“To be recognized alongside such amazing actors as Alison Brie, Ethan Hawke, Sophie Thatcher, Sally Hawkins, and Alfie Williams is incredible. Indy is honored to accept this award — especially knowing that he’s standing in alongside performers who didn’t even need to be bribed in order to hit their marks.”
The director also acknowledged the team behind the film, crediting the cast and crew for helping translate Indy’s instinctive behavior into a performance that resonated onscreen.
“To Good Boy‘s amazing cast and crew, your patience, generosity, and belief made every moment work onscreen,” Leonberg said. “Indy, quite literally, could not have done this without you.”
He closed the remarks by saying, “Thank you again, we are so, so delighted.”
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.