Lena Dunham says Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscars speech made her go vegan.
The actor, director, and writer shared a video of the “Joker” star’s Oscars acceptance speech on Twitter. Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor, but his speech was about human oppression and the cruelty of the dairy industry.
“I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world,” he said. “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.”
He added, “and then we take her milk that’s intended for the calf and we put it in our coffee and cereal.”
His words struck a chord with Dunham. The “Girls” creator Tweeted alongside the video, “welp, it finally happened- I do believe Joaquin Phoenix made me vegan.”
Cutting Out Dairy
Dunham has experimented with veganism in the past.
In an essay published on Bon Appetit in 2017, she recalls a “decade-long dalliance” with the lifestyle. In her memoir “Not That Kind Of Girl,” released in 2014, she writes of one ex-boyfriend, “he is the one who ended my vegetarian streak, for which I will be forever grateful because I grow strong on the blood of animals.”
Her decision to give an animal-free diet another shot has delighted many. Animal rights organization Mercy For Animals Tweeted Dunham, “this is amazing news! Thank you so much for your compassion!” Other Twitter-users praised the decision and recommended their favorite dairy-free milk products.
In the U.S., dairy is falling out of favor. According to a study from 2019, nearly half of all Americans now regularly purchase vegan milk.
Joaquin Phoenix Turns Awards Season Vegan
Phoenix seems to be on a mission to turn Hollywood vegan. The actor reportedly persuaded the Golden Globes to adopt a vegan menu. Following this, several award ceremonies—including the Critics’ Choice Awards and the BAFTAs—announced they were either going fully plant-based or cutting down on the number of animal products served.
At the Golden Globes, Phoenix won the award for Best Actor in a Drama. He said in his acceptance speech, “I’d like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing and acknowledging the link between animal agriculture and climate change. It is a very bold move making tonight plant-based and it really sends a powerful message.”
