Joaquin Phoenix looks set to break some records as star of the new movie “The Joker”. He has also starred in numerous other movies, including “Her”, “Inherent Vice”, and his highest grossing movie (so far) “Gladiator”.  But in contrast to the character he portrays in his most recent movie, he’s actually a really warm and caring guy, especially for animals.

He first went vegetarian at the age of only 3 when, along with his siblings, he was on a fishing boat, and watched the fish being stunned against the side of the boat.  They were all horrified at the injustice of it.  Joaquin said:

“I think it made me distrustful, and angry, and frightened of humans, humanity. I just thought it was such a gross abuse of power in a way. I think that during that moment we knew that we were not going to eat meat anymore. We said to our parents, “Why didn’t you tell us?” It’s amazing. I remember my mom’s face, I remember her crying. She didn’t know how to answer. It became very obvious we weren’t going to eat meat anymore.”

A few months later, his older brother commented on how dairy cattle were treated, and they all decided to go vegan.

Since then he has dedicated his life to creating a kinder world for farmed animals, supporting nonprofits such as Mercy for Animals.  He sees the treatment of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses as ‘absurd and barbaric’, saying he ‘doesn’t how you could witness that and not be affected by it’. He has also expressed concern for the impact of animal agriculture on our environment.

His longtime partner, Rooney Mara, is also a longtime vegan and very supportive.