Receiving letters from PETA activists about the fur coat she wore for Broadway play 'Looped', the actress is glad she doesn't have to deal with them again now that her show has ended.
- April 12, 2010
AceShowbiz - Actress Valerie Harper is glad of one thing when it comes to the early closure of her Broadway play "Looped" - no more letters from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) about the fur coat she wears onstage as late actress Tallulah Bankhead.
Last week, producers announced the show would end after a six-week run, amid reports of low ticket sales and PETA activists are celebrating because it means the full mink Harper wears as Bankhead will be retired. Harper admits she has received correspondence from PETA bosses about the coat.
She tells BlogTalkRadio, "They did send a letter and I'm very respectful of animals but I'm not a vegetarian. I did wear fur years ago but I never wear it now. They just wanted to make the point that the animals suffer and they die horribly. I passed the letter onto William Ivey Long (costume designer) because that's his work and it's Tallulah's signature. She wore a full-length mink coat for 40 years."
But the actress has no qualms about wearing the coat when she's in character on stage, stating "It happens to be a vintage coat from the 60s. This coat was from so long ago that we didn't kill animals for this production."
