The 'Babe' actor has been chosen as Person of the Year by the animal rights organization, following previous honorees like Billie Eilish and Ricky Gervais.
- December 30, 2022
AceShowbiz - James Cromwell has been announced as PETA's 2022 Person of the Year. The 82-year-old actor - whose film credits include "Babe", "The Green Mile", and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" - has been honored with the accolade by the animal rights organisation after speaking out against the live export of pigs from Ireland and pressuring Starbucks to end its vegan milk up-charge in the US.
"James Cromwell's compassion for all animals knows no bounds. He's PETA's Person of the Year for playing a vital part in our hard-fought campaigns on behalf of animals whose abuse is kept hidden as they are confined to cages, exploited, and killed," said Mimi Bekhechi, PETA's vice president for the UK, Europe, and Australia.
Previous winners of the prestigious award include Billie Eilish, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and Ricky Gervais.
PETA US has also announced that it is naming its Los Angeles event space The James Cromwell Empathy Center.
James became vegan after filming "Babe", the 1995 comedy-drama film, and he has subsequently been outspoken about the issue of animal rights. Earlier this year, he actually superglued his hand to the cafe counter at a Starbucks in New York City as part of a protest against the company's additional charge for vegan milks. Police officers subsequently arrived at the scene to shut down the store.
James - who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in "Babe" - explained, "My friends at PETA and I are calling on Starbucks to stop punishing kind and environmentally conscious customers for choosing plant milks. We all have a stake in the life-and-death matter of the climate catastrophe, and Starbucks should do its part by ending its vegan up-charge."
