Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix attended a pig vigil in Los Angeles after winning a Screen Actors Guild award at the weekend.
The 45-year-old thespian joined the Los Angeles Animal Save group in feeding water to pigs in trucks at a local slaughterhouse.
Speaking to a reporter for Jane Unchained News – which describes itself as “a social media news network for animal rights/veganism” – Phoenix, a committed vegan, revealed why he was in attendance.
“I have to,” he said. “I think that most people don’t really know the torture and murder that is the meat and dairy industry.
“I think that we have a moral obligation to talk about it and expose it for what it really is. We’re so indoctrinated with these images of happy animals on farms on the covers of milk containers and at restaurants, and it’s a lie.”
Phoenix described his visit as “a little antidote to what I just was doing”, referring to his appearance at the SAG Awards, where he picked up a best actor award for his portrayal of a troubled loner in Joker.
He added that some people in the industry had been in touch to thank him for his activism, and said that he drew optimism from the activists and families he had seen at the pig vigil.
“As heartbreaking as it is when we’re here giving water to the pigs, I have a certain optimism in our community,” he said.
Earlier in January, Phoenix was mocked online after pledging to wear the same tuxedo for the whole awards season to reduce waste.
Designer Stella McCartney said she had made a custom suit for the Joker star, which he would wear to every awards ceremony until the Oscars.