Are there Oscars for animal actors? Indy, the Dog from ‘Good Boy', writes an open letter to be considered for the Academy Awards

Although there aren’t any Oscars for animal actors, Indy, the dog from Ben Leonberg’s 2025 horror movie, Good Boy, seems to have a special request.

According to an exclusive report by Variety, published on October 9, the film’s production house, Independent Film Company (IFC), wrote a letter to the Academy, requesting the addition of a category in their awards list.

The letter reads:

“Dear esteemed Members of the Academy, I write this letter to request your consideration for inclusion in this year's Academy Awards best acting performance race. Despite my critically acclaimed role in the recent film GOOD BOY - 1 have been deemed ineligible for the Best Actor category. This news feels as if someone has yanked my leash short, as apparently, I am not a good enough boy for you.”

The letter continued:

“I understand you have rules to protect my human co-stars, but no such rules exist to recognize the rich and complex contributions of our canine thespians. How many great performances must go overlooked before the academy throws us a bone?”

More about Indy’s letter

In the letter to the committee, Indy shared that watching Jed the wolf-dog in White Fang as a puppy inspired him to pursue his own Hollywood dreams. He explained that animals in movies, from Free Willy to Babe and War Horse, had played important roles and even carried whole stories, yet they were often ignored.

Indy felt that animal actors were still not given proper awards or recognition for their work and were mostly forgotten by the film industry. He mentioned:

“So now, I must quietly sit beside the dinner table of the feast of the Academy Awards awaiting to compete amongst my fellow artists. We ask that you stop lifting your leg on the contribution of myself and the many great animal actors whose work continues to go unrecognized.”

What did Ben Leonberg say about Indy?

In an interview with Collider, Ben Leonberg said that the filmmaking was more like a family project, which took three years. When asked how he trained the dog for the movie, he said:

“Making this movie wasn't so much training Indy how to be in a movie. It was learning how to make a movie around him. I can't say enough. Indy does not know he's in a movie.”

Leonberg mentioned that while making the movie, they had to adhere to certain routines. He said his day would begin by getting the camera and lights ready, and the dog would then inspect every piece of equipment. Speaking about how the dog got used to working in the set, Leonberg said:

“He definitely learned that the camera meant he was supposed to do something even though he never understood exactly what that was. And I think another thing we were just always learning to do and it was never the same. So, I don't know if it's exactly a ritual but I was always learning new ways to finesse a performance big air quotes there out of Indy.”

The director mentioned that some of what is shown in the movie shows his relationship with the dog. He said viewers got to see some of the “real slices of life” from the making.

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Also Read: Good Boy ending explained: The real horrors inside a dog's mind

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