Viral Good Boy Canine Star Indy Wins Award For Stunning Horror Performance
Good Boy captured hearts last year by showing a horror film from the perspective of a dog. DIrected by Ben Leonberg, the star of the film is his own canine companion, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Indy. Good Boy went viral following the release of its initial trailer due to concerns about Indy's safety, and the buzz paid off after it became one of the highest-grossing Shudder films of all time. Recently, Indy received a unique honor for his convincing portrayal. The canine actor won an Astra Film Award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller, a category traditionally reserved for human actors. Indy won against major contenders such as Alison Brie, Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke, and Sophie Thatcher.
Though Indy's performance was well-received, it was not easy to capture on film. Per Leonberg, Indy "can only film for a very small number of hours a day, so the film [had] to stretch over a much longer period than a normal film would." "We’re only filming one to three hours a day," he continued. "We did it over three years, over 400 days." The director then explained how, though "he can do commands," a lot of his scenes were carefully directed to maintain the illusion. "It's also about getting what appears to be a performance, which is coming from him, but also coming from the audience and the filmmaking, because the audience projects their own feelings onto him," Leonberg explained. "Through the power of filmmaking and cinematic shot progression, you can show his point of view. We return to the objective shot of him, of his face, there’s a blank expression in reality, but the audience [says], 'That dog is scared,' even though he’s not; you’re scared."
Indy is staring at Shane Jensen as Todd in Good Boy
Earlier this year, "Indy" also penned a letter asking for Academy Award consideration, stating that they should "recognize the rich and complex contributions of our canine thespians." The letter also notes that animal actors overall "remain largely absent from [the Academy's] yearly accolades, unrecognized for [their] craft, and left in [his] smaller but still adequate house by the Academy at large."
Though whether his plea will be heard is unknown, Indy's Astra Award, as well as his special "Howl of Fame" Award at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival, showcases the hard work that both he and Leonberg put into making Good Boy a memorable film. Good Boy is available to stream on Shudder and AMC+.
Good Boy
6/10
Release Date
October 3, 2025
Runtime
73 minutes
Director
Ben Leonberg
Writers
Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg
