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People furious after first non-human actor wins award for best horror performance

Home> Entertainment> TV & Film

Published 12:31 12 Jan 2026 GMT

People furious after first non-human actor wins award for best horror performance

Good Boy star Indy the dog took home the Astra Film Award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller on Friday (9 January)

Madison Burgess

Madison Burgess

A non-human actor just made history as the first to win a major film acting award, and film fanatics are not impressed.

Now, we all remember the drama that went down when AI actress Tilly Norwood emerged onto the scene last year, with her creators claiming she'll be the next 'Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman'.

Celebrities such as Emily Blunt were vocal about exactly how they felt about her creation and what this means for the industry, calling her 'terrifying'.

However, this time when we say non-human, we actually don't mean AI - we mean an animal, specifically a dog.

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Yes, really.

At the 9th annual Astra Film Awards, held this weekend by the Hollywood Creative Alliance, Good Boy star Indy the dog took home the award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller.

For those who are unfamiliar, the movie is a supernatural horror told from the unique perspective of a dog.

Indy the dog just took home a major film award for Good Boy (Independent Film Company)
Indy the dog just took home a major film award for Good Boy (Independent Film Company)

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The pooch and his owner Todd leave city life for a long-vacant family home in the country, where they're met with supernatural forces.

As per Rotten Tomatoes, Indy is 'immediately vexed by empty corners, tracks an invisible presence only he can see, perceives phantasmagoric warnings from a long-dead dog, and is haunted by visions of the previous occupant’s grim death'.

When Todd begins succumbing to the dark forces swirling around the house, Indy must battle a malevolence intent on dragging his owner into the afterlife.

Now, the dog's shock win came as he beat some huge human names, notably Alfie Williams (28 Years Later), Alison Brie (Together) and Ethan Hawke (Black Phone 2) who were all nominated.

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And while some people rushed to social media to congratulate the pup, others found it 'offensive' to the actual artists that an animal won the gong.

One Twitter user brutally wrote: "Don’t get me wrong I love this dog so much but if I was a working actor and finally got nominated for an award and lost to a dog I’d prob k*ll myself."

While a second agreed: "Human actors spent years in acting school meanwhile Indy the Dog just fetched an Astra Award and said who's a good boy NOW?"

The decision has caused controversy among film fans (Independent Film Company)
The decision has caused controversy among film fans (Independent Film Company)

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A third wrote: "Can we talk about how offensive and degrading it is to the actual artists in that room to gather them all there under the guise of recognising the best then give the award to a dog."

And a fourth penned: "So stupid. The credits literally end with a little behind-the-scenes featurette showing the dog being "tricked" into every (re)action captured on camera. An insult to the human nominees: Alison Brie, Ethan Hawke, Sally Hawkins, Sophie Thatcher and Alfie Williams."

"Sally Hawkins gave one of the very best performances of the year and these bozos gave the trophy to a dog. Embarrassing on every level," raged a fifth.

While others agreed: "ngl it sorta feels wrong to even let a dog get nominated, let alone win..." and "Why not just make a separate award for animal performances specifically?"

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Tyla has contacted the Astra Awards for comment.

Featured Image Credit: The Astra Awards

Topics: Social Media, Dog, Animals, TV And Film, Celebrity, Entertainment

Madison Burgess
Madison Burgess

Madison is a Journalist at Tyla with a keen interest in lifestyle, entertainment and culture. She graduated from the University of Sheffield with a first-class degree in Journalism Studies, and has previously written for DMG Media as a Showbiz Reporter and Audience Writer.

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