Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix is an Oscar-winning American actor and producer whose career spans studio blockbusters, independent cinema, and awards-season standouts. He broke through as a child actor before taking on a run of major film roles, including To Die For, Gladiator, Signs, Hotel Rwanda, Walk the Line, and Her. In 2020, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Joker, adding to a reputation for intense, character-driven performances.

Phoenix has been vegan since early childhood and has been open about the moment that triggered it. When he was three, he and his siblings watched fish being killed on a family fishing trip, and the experience led them to refuse to eat animals. “It was undeniable that it was brutal, barbaric and horrible for us, and so we said that. I remember my mum not being to answer and we said, ‘Why didn’t you tell us that’s where meat came from?’ And she didn’t know what to say.” He told his parents that he would never eat meat again. He has remained vegan into the present, continuing to be described in recent coverage and campaigning as a long-time vegan and animal rights advocate.

His veganism has been closely linked to animal protection throughout his public life. He narrated the documentary Earthlings (2005), a film that examines the use of animals for food, clothing, entertainment, and research, and he has repeatedly credited it as one of the projects that sparks the most discussion. He has also fronted named advocacy work with PETA, including the “Change the World From Your Kitchen. Go Vegan” campaign, which urges viewers to stop supporting animal suffering through everyday food choices.