A new video from Farm Sanctuary shows Joker star and outspoken animal activist Joaquin Phoenix rescuing an adorable baby calf and its mother from a slaughterhouse in Los Angeles, CA.
As fans will know, the recent Oscar winner has spent the last few decades fighting tirelessly against animal cruelty and the meat industry and is a proud member of PETA. He’s also narrated various popular documentaries that showcase humanity’s reliance on animals. After taking the stage at the Academy Awards the other week and humbly expressing gratitude to his peers, he spent a chunk of his acceptance speech sharing his disappointment in humanity’s use of animals for food.
One particular part of his impassioned address stated the following:
“I think that we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world and many of us, what we’re guilty of is an egocentric worldview, the belief that we’re the center of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”
Whether you’re a devout vegan or a meat-eater, there is no denying Phoenix’s dedication to his beliefs, and he’s obviously remaining active in his efforts to put his money where his mouth is in the video of the rescue above. And you know what, good for him.
Joaquin Phoenix has been nominated for four Academy Awards in his career, but his Oscar for Todd Phillips’ Joker marks his first win. Despite breaking records for having the most nominations of any comic book movie yet, plenty of fans were disappointed that the film lost the Best Picture award to Parasite. But still, it’s gone down as a major, major success for all involved and at this point, a sequel announcement should be coming sooner rather than later. Watch this space for more.