British comedian and actor Ricky Gervais has paid a beautiful tribute to his on-screen dog who featured in his critically-acclaimed TV show, After Life. Mr Gervais took to social media to inform that Vislor Antilly, also known as Anti, whose name on the show was "Brandy", passed away at the age of 13. Calling the German shepherd a "beautiful soul", Mr Gervais said they both "hit it off straight away".
"Sad News. 'Anti', who played 'Brandy' in After Life, has died. She was 13 and a very good girl," wrote Mr Gervais on X (formerly Twitter).
"I'm so glad that I told her a hundred times a day that she was a very good girl," he added.
Antilly passed away at her home in Oxfordshire, surrounded by her caretakers and four-legged friends. As per BBC, Antilly was raised by Travis and Ashley Foster, who appeared as a henchman in Sir Christopher Nolan's Batman: The Dark Knight.
"Vislor Antilly, known to most people worldwide as Brandy, Ricky Gervais' loyal sidekick in the Netflix smash hit After Life, has passed away peacefully at her home in Oxfordshire at the age of 13," read a statement by them.
At the age of 1, little Antilly started working in movies and retired when she turned 11. In between, she featured in Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow, George Clooney's The Midnight Sky, BBC's The Capture and most notably, After Life. Her final appearance on camera was released in July last year in the Midsomer Murders' episode The Debt Of Lies, where she played a retired police dog who detains the murderer before retiring.
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Internet reacts
Social media users reacted emotionally to the passing of Antilly with many remembering the connection they felt with the dog.
"I wish dogs lived as long as humans so we could have them with us for the entire journey," said one user, while another added: "I'm so sorry to hear that. We actually lost TWO cats in the last two weeks, and it's such a horrible feeling."
A third commented: "I am so sorry! She was such a beautiful wonderful dog! My family is watching the series with me (I already have watched it ) and even my dog stops to watch Brandy on TV! She is in Dog Heaven! Even if you don't believe."
Antilly played a prominent role in After Life, appearing in all 18 episodes of the show about a local newspaper reporter Tony, played by Mr Gervais, who contemplates suicide after his wife's death.
In the show, Tony stops short of taking his life as he has to take care of 'Brandy' who will have no one to look up to if he isn't there. The emotional connection between Gervais' character and Antilly became one of the anchor points of the entire series.
