Director Ben Leonberg said that Indy the Dog was “thrilled to be recognized for his work in a movie he does not totally understand he was in.”

Good Boy dog beats out Ethan Hawke, Alison Brie, and other humans to win acting award

Director Ben Leonberg said that Indy the Dog was "thrilled to be recognized for his work in a movie he does not totally understand he was in."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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January 12, 2026 2:07 p.m. ET

Indy the Dog; Ethan Hawke; Alison Brie. Credit:

IFC/Shudder; Andreas Rentz/Getty; Mat Hayward/Getty

The 9th Annual Astra Film Awards has gone to the dogs! **

No, literally. *Good Boy *star Indy the Dog took home the award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller at Friday’s ceremony, beating out a collection of talented humans that included Ethan Hawke, Alison Brie, and more. **

In a pre-recorded message, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever could be seen sporting a black bow tie as his owner and director Ben Leonberg accepted the trophy on his behalf. **

“Hi, I’m Ben Leonberg, the director of *Good Boy *here with my dog, the goodest boy himself,” the filmmaker began. “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.”

Indy was nominated in the star-studded category alongside Hawke (*The Black Phone 2*), Brie (*Together*), Alfie Williams (*28 Years Later*), Sally Hawkins (*Bring Her Back*), and Sophie Thatcher (*Companion*).

In his speech, Leonberg explained that “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.” **

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He went on to describe the horror genre as one that is “fueled by originality and reinvention, and by audiences who are the most eager to see something new” in the 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,” Leonberg said. “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.”

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Leonberg and Indy also took a moment to thank “the humans who made his performance possible” along the way, too. “To *Good Boy*’s amazing cast and crew, your patience, generosity, and belief made every moment work onscreen,” he said. “Indy, quite literally, could not have done this without you.”**

He concluded, “Thank you again, we are so, so delighted.”

Indy played himself in *Good Boy*, which tells the story of a protective pooch trying to save his chronically ill owner Todd (Shane Jensen) from a supernatural entity that looms over their rural home. The film also stars Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden, and a Golden Retriever named Max. **

Speaking with **, Leonberg revealed that principal photography on the film took over 400 days over the course of three years. **

“Controlling his motion was always challenging,” the director explained at the time. “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.”**

Leonberg acknowledged that unexpected excitement was something he wouldn’t experience had he cast a human actor. “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.”**

Watch Indy’s acceptance speech in the clip above.

- Horror Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Horror”