Bradley Cooper wasn't nominated for an Oscar for Best Directing — but he did just win an Oscat, an award from the organization PETA that recognizes "the movies and stars who promoted kindness to animals through positive actions." Cooper is nominated alongside Natalie Portman (for Vox Lux) and Winston Duke (for his role as the vegetarian M'Baku in Black Panther). Cooper won the "compassion in film" award, a category that PETA literally introduced for the director.
Cooper's Oscat is credited mainly to his dog, Charlie Cooper, who appears in A Star is Born and virtually stole the show. In the original press release for the award, which was revealed back in October, PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said that "Bradley Cooper’s happy, adorable, and much-loved dog steals the spotlight — and viewers’ hearts — in this film because it’s clear that he loved being with his real-life ‘dad.'"
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In the movie, Charlie plays a pup that Ally (Lady Gaga) and Jackson (Cooper) adopt shortly before they get married. The doggo becomes a constant part of the film, staying by Ally's side even as the drama reaches its peak.
Really, the dog needs an Oscar — not an Oscat — too. And a treat.