Meet Indy – Hollywood’s newest breakout star. Only this fresh-faced talent isn’t your typical actor, he’s a loveable dog. Not only that, he’s also not a trained animal actor.
Good Boy is one of Shudder’s latest horror movies. Although it was initially intended to be a streaming vehicle, the trailer gathered so much momentum that it was granted a limited theatrical release. So, what’s with all the hype? And who is Indy? Let’s break it down and explain how this groundbreaking horror movie came to fruition.
What Is Good Boy About?
Good Boy tells the story of Todd, a sick man who retreats to his deceased grandfather’s abandoned house in the woods. However, he isn’t the focus of the movie, Indy is. Told entirely from the dog’s perspective, the terror unfolds as Indy begins seeing strange figures lurking around the property. As Todd gets sicker and sicker, Indy gets braver and braver, facing the supernatural forces head on. As Todd begins to shift in his mindset and character, Indy is left with no choice but to become the man of the house and protect the person he loves most, stumbling upon long-buried family secrets in the process.
Indy: From Loveable Pet to Hollywood Star
The main question on everyone’s mind when a movie involves a dog is: does the dog live? Well, we aren’t going to spoil the movie here, and there’s a website literally called Does the Dog Die where you can look that up if you want to. With Good Boy being a horror movie, the chances of this adorable animal being harmed are even greater than your standard movie. Due to its theme of a dog being tormented, many voiced their concerns about the real-life Indy’s welfare during filming. However, he was in the safe hands of his owner Ben Leonberg, the director and co-writer of the film.
Good Boy was filmed over the course of three years and the crew consisted entirely of Indy, Leonberg, and his wife and producer of the film Kari Fischer. Reportedly, Indy only filmed for 1-3 hours a day, and Leonberg stood in as the body double of Todd for most of the film. Therefore, Indy literally believed he was simply having playtime with his human dad and best friend. No CGI was used for the movie, and Leonberg would illicit Indy’s performances by playing with his favorite toys and engaging in typical dog play. The fear in Indy was added in during post-production with sound design and clever editing. So, Indy was certainly a happy pup during the whole process.
As we mentioned, Indy is not a trained animal actor, which makes his performance all the more remarkable. He is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, an intelligent breed with a high need for exercise and mental stimulation, meaning he most certainly had a blast while filming Good Boy. This specific breed are also known for their high-pitched “Toller scream” when excited, so any real audio of Indy screaming was him being joyous to play, not terrified.
Let’s Send Indy to the Oscars?
Could the 2026 Oscars have a special animal guest? Possibly. People have playfully thrown out “give this dog an Oscar”, and one reviewer at IndieWire called him “One of the most emotive actors of his generation — regardless of species.” While it’s hard to imagine a dog beating the likes of George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, and Timothée Chalamet to the Best Actor glory, people are actually campaigning for it.
In an awards season move, indie studio IFC have sent an open letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asking for the real-life good boy to be acknowledged. The humorous but touching letter is written from the perspective of Indy, saying: “Despite my critically acclaimed role in the recent film ‘Good Boy,’ — I have been deemed ineligible for the Best Actor category. Apparently, I am not a good enough boy for you.” The letter then goes on to reference a plethora of animal work in film that has been overlooked, mentioning movies like Babe, Free Willy, and White Fang. Indy then asks: “How many great performances must go overlooked before the Academy throws us a bone?”
Although it is extremely unlikely that Indy will land a Best Actor nomination, he could still appear at the ceremony. This wouldn’t be the first time. Messi, the border collie star of the 2023 French film Anatomy of a Fall, attended the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony in a moment that quickly went viral. Plus, Indy has already strut his stuff on the red carpet at the premiere of Good Boy at the SXSW Film Festival, and it went down a treat.
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