Why Is Tom Selleck Dissing The Artist's Uggie?!

Actor says his Jesse Stone golden retriever costar, Joe, "doesn't do cutesy stuff" but is "finest dog actor in the history of show business"

Ruh-roh!

Tom Selleck doesn't think Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier who starred alongside Jean Dujardin in The Artist, is Tinseltown's top dog.

Uggie was named Best Dog in a Theatrical Film at this year's Golden Collar Awards, but who is the clever canine Selleck thinks is the best in the biz?

His Jesse Stone golden retriever costar, Joe.

"I think Joe is the finest dog actor in the history of show business," the actor gushed to HuffPost TV.

"[Uggie] does cute stuff. Joe doesn't do cutesy stuff," Selleck explained. "He, in the audience's mind, is another person. He's Jesse's roommate, and he thinks like a human. That's hard to do."

"He is cute, of course, but people always come up to me and tell me that they read thoughts into [Reggie, the character Joe plays]," Selleck clarified.

MORE: Uggie Lands Greeting Card Gig

As for Uggie hamming it up on the red carpet? "I see [Uggie] do an awful lot of cute head turns and winks and barks," the actor said. "Joe won't do that."

Coincidentally, Joe and Uggie both made their acting debuts in 2005. But while Uggie has had roles in The Artist and Water for Elephants, Joe has yet to make it onto the silver screen.