Uggie the dog -- the scene-stealing Jack Russell terrier who played sidekick to Jean Dujardin in the Oscar-nominated film "The Artist" -- may be one of the most adored pooches of all time, but not according to "Blue Bloods" actor Tom Selleck.
When he's not playing New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan on the CBS cop drama, Selleck is better known as Jesse Stone, the troubled detective in TV movie series "Jesse Stone," which is now in its eighth installment. And since 2005, Selleck has worked alongside a golden retriever named Joe, who plays Jesse's faithful canine companion Reggie.
"I think Joe is the finest dog actor in the history of show business," Selleck told HuffPost TV while on the "Blue Bloods" set in February. "[Uggie] does cute stuff. Joe doesn't do cutesy stuff. He, in the audience's mind, is another person. He's Jessie's roommate, and he thinks like a human. That's hard to do. I haven't seen [Uggie] in 'The Artist,' but I still think Joe is better."
What makes Joe the golden retriever superior? Well, for starters, don't ever expect him to strike a pose on the red carpet.
"I see [Uggie] do an awful lot of cute head-turns and winks and barks," said Selleck. "Joe won't do that. He wasn't a professional dog, and he doesn't do anything cute. He is cute, of course, but people always come up to me and tell me that they read thoughts into Reggie. I think it's because he's so simple. Jesse and Reggie are kind of like soulmates. They both have problems with commitment. Jesse found Reggie sitting over his owner's body in the second film. They're very similar."
The first "Jesse Stone" film happened to be his Joe's first role, but he has yet to venture onto the big screen. Coincidentally, Hollywood's leading dog Uggie also made his acting debut in 2005, the same year as Joe.
In honor of Uggie, who probably won't attend the 84th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night, we've compiled all of the dog's best red carpet appearances. Enjoy!
PHOTOS:
