Joaquin Phoenix helped save a mother cow and her newborn calf from the slaughterhouse just one day after he advocated for animal rights in his Oscars acceptance speech.
The 45-year-old actor was filmed rescuing the cow and her calf from the Manning Beef slaughterhouse in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pico Rivera the day after he accepted his best actor Oscar for Joker.
Footage of the rescue, which was posted online on Wednesday, showed him carrying the calf into a transport trailer so the animals could be taken to a nearby animal preserve run by non-profit organization Farm Sanctuary.
Phoenix named the mother cow Liberty and her calf Indigo.
In a clip of the rescue, Phoenix and representatives from the Los Angeles Animal Save group were filmed speaking with the president and CEO of the slaughterhouse, Anthony Di Maria.
The A-list actor spoke to Di Maria about industry practice but they disagreed on if the term for the fate of the animals should be ‘harvested’ or ‘murdered’.
Walking the walk: Joaquin Phoenix helped save a mother cow and her calf from the slaughterhouse the day after he drew light to the issue of farming industry practices regarding mother cows during his acceptance speech at the Oscars
Aww! The Walk the Line actor named the mother Liberty and the child Indigo
Phoenix later issued a statement via the Los Angeles Animal Save group, commending Di Maria for releasing the two animals.
‘I never thought I’d find friendship in a slaughterhouse, but meeting Anthony and opening my heart to his, I realize we might have more in common than we do differences,’ he said.
‘Without his act of kindness, Liberty and her baby calf, Indigo, would have met a terrible demise.’
‘My hope is, as we watch baby Indigo grow up with her mom Liberty at Farm Sanctuary, that we’ll always remember that friendships can emerge in the most unexpected places; and no matter our differences, kindness and compassion should rule everything around us.’
Phoenix also acknowledged the animal advocates he worked with in the effort to liberate the cow and calf.
‘Although we will continue to fight for the liberation of all animals who suffer in these oppressive systems, we must take pause to acknowledge and celebrate the victories, and the people who helped achieve them,’ he said.
‘Shaun Monson, Amy Jean Davis, and the entire LA Animal Save community, have taken their pain of bearing witness and turned it into effective, diplomatic advocacy for the voiceless. As a result, Liberty and Indigo will never experience cruelty or the touch of a rough hand.’
Focused: The Oscar-winning actor has made animal rights a major priority
Back and forth: Phoenix had a cordial discussion with Manning Beef president and CEO, Anthony Di Maria about industry practices, though the duo disagreed on if the term for the fate of the animals should be ‘harvested’ or ‘murdered’
Helping hand: The veteran actor helped carry the calf into the back of a trailer
Phoenix is notorious for his environmental activism and is an outspoken advocate for veganism.
The rescue came just one day after he took to the stage at the Academy Awards on February 9 and delivered a ranting acceptance speech about animal rights and how he was grateful to be able to be a voice for the voiceless.
‘I’ve been thinking a lot about some of these distressing issues we’ve been facing collectively… We’re talking about the fight against the belief that one nation, one people, one race, one gender, or one species has the right to dominate, control and use and exploit another with impunity,’ Phoenix said in his long-winded speech.
‘I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. Many of us are guilty of an egocentric world view, and we believe 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 artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth we steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.’
Platform: In his Academy Awards acceptance speech, Phoenix said he was grateful to be able to be a voice for the voiceless
‘And I think we fear the idea of personal change because we think we have to sacrifice something to give something up, but human beings at our best are so inventive and creative and ingenious and I think when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles, we can create, develop and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment,’ he added as the crowd erupted in raucous applause.
Phoenix said ‘an egocentric worldview – the belief that we’re the center of the universe’ had led to the earth’s resources being plundered.
He had earlier taken to the red carpet in the same Stella McCartney suit he has been wearing all season long to advocate for minimal waste.
Following his Oscars win, Phoenix and his fiancee Rooney Mara celebrated by eating vegan burgers at LA’s Monty’s Good Burger.
The actor was also behind the vegan-only menu that was served at this year’s Golden Globes ceremony.
He thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press when he accepted the Golden Globe for best actor for Joker and praised them for making the ‘bold move’ to cater an entirely plant-based meal.