Earlier this month on Jan. 9, the Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA), a non-profit organization of industry professionals that focuses on supporting diversity and representation in the film industry, held their 9th annual Astra Film Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, California. The awards ceremony, which HCA describes as serving to “elevate inclusive, emerging, and underrepresented talent in film, television, and media” sent many stars home one-award-richer. Actors who were honored for their performances included Michael B. Jordan, who won Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for his role in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” and Amanda Seyfried, who won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her film “The Testament of Ann Lee.” Alongside the human recipients of the awards, the HCA also awarded its Best Performance in a Horror Performance award to Indy, the 8-year old retriever belonging to Ben Leonberg, the director of the horror film, “Good Boy.”
Leonberg’s film, which is filmed entirely from Indy’s perspective, tells the story of a dog (also named Indy) who moves to the countryside along with his owner Todd and begins sensing a dangerous and threatening entity that he must protect his owner from. “Good Boy,” which was nominated for multiple awards at other award shows like the Film Independent Spirit Awards, was praised by critics for being a fresh take on a popular genre, and providing a new perspective on horror. Its canine star was also applauded, with prominent publications like the New York Times writing that Indy’s “...soft eyes and remarkably focused demeanor channel joy, pathos and, most astonishingly, terror,” stating that Leonberg and his wife, “should be proud” because “Their nepo baby actually deserves the acclaim.”
Indy’s win, which was met by some dog-lovers with enthusiasm, was also met with controversy by those who felt that Indy’s win was disrespectful to the other actors who the canine had been nominated alongside. The other five nominees, Ethan Hawke (“Black Phone 2”), Alison Brie (“Together”), Alfie Williams (“28 Years Later”), Sally Hawkins (“Bring Her Back”), and Sophie Thatcher (“Companion”) all gave critically acclaimed performances in their respective films, with some, like Thatcher and Hawkins both receiving multiple other nominations at other awards shows. For an awards show that claims to ennoble underrepresented communities in film, the decision to give one of their awards to a dog, was an interesting one.
Whether or not Indy’s presence in the film was an effective storytelling tool, the pre-recorded acceptance speech that Leonberg delivered on behalf of Indy points to an important point regarding the appropriateness of giving a dog an award for acting. Leonberg opened the speech by stating, “...we are so grateful and thrilled to be recognized for his work in a movie he does not totally understand he was in.” While meant to be a humorously endearing remark, Leonberg is correct, Indy, as a dog, is not aware of his performance in a film, and is not capable of making an intentional and considered acting performance in a film, while his fellow, human nominees are.
Actors are nominated and awarded acting awards based on the choices that they make when portraying a character, choices that develop a compelling and realistic performance that sticks with audiences and critics. And while Indy, in his involvement in “Good Boy” may have convinced audiences of his concern for his owner and fear of the threat that he faced, his performance was elicited by squeaky toys and treats, not careful study of a character and intentional acting choices. Giving Indy an award, for a performance that was inadvertent, goes against the purpose and prestige of acting awards. Overlooking human performers who gave measured performances based on years of experience and training, for a dog without the same capability of the actors who were nominated for the same category.
This situation also sets an unsettling precedent for awarding other non-human “performers” like AI, overlooking human performers who put care into their craft, whether it be acting or another creative field. If a dog, whose performance was fully unintentional, is able to win a “best performance” award, when nominated against human actors, at an awards show that purports to stand for representation, then what other concessions can be made to overlook human achievement and performance? Indy’s involvement in Leonberg’s “Good Boy” is a unique and admirable accomplishment for the team behind the film, and is no doubt a novelty in the world of horror films, yet many, including myself, wonder if compromising the purpose of acting awards is a door that we want to open in a world that is increasingly embracing AI and AI-generated art.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.