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.

Why Joaquin Phoenix is vegan

Joaquin Phoenix is vegan for the animals and the planet.

Phoenix has been vegan since he was three years old, and has been open about the moment that triggered it.¹Brut. 2019. Joaquin Phoenix has been a vegan since he was 3 years old. The “Joker” actor spoke to Brut about why he’s so committed to animal rights. Facebook. Available: https://www.facebook.com/brutamerica/posts/joaquin-phoenix-has-been-a-vegan-since-he-was-3-years-old-the-joker-actor-spoke-/2254699671495206/ [Accessed 11 August 2026]. 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.

“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.”²Weintraub, M. 2018. Joaquin Phoenix on You Were Never Really Here and How He Got Into Acting. Collider. Available: https://collider.com/joaquin-phoenix-interview-you-were-never-really-here/#animal-rights-vegan [Accessed 11 August 2026].

He has remained vegan to the present day, continuing to be described in recent coverage and campaigning as a long-time vegan and animal rights advocate, alongside his partner, Rooney Mara, with whom he has two children.

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 advocacy work with various animal rights organisations, including the “Change the World From Your Kitchen. Go Vegan” campaign, which urges viewers to stop supporting animal suffering through everyday food choices. Perhaps most famously, in his 2020 Oscar acceptance speech for Joker, he used his “voice for the voiceless” addressing the inequality in society, including the cruel domination of cows in the dairy industry.³Oscars. 2020. Joaquin Phoenix wins Best Actor | 92nd Oscars (2020). Youtube. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiiWdTz_MNc [Accessed 11 August 2026].

“I think that when it’s your time to step up, it comes to you. I’ve always had a hard time imposing my personal beliefs on others, I’ve never wanted to do that. But things are really dire right now and the evidence is overwhelming that there is an incontrovertible link between the meat and dairy industry and climate change.”⁴Pritchett, L. 2025. Joaquin Phoenix Opens Up About His Vegan Dad In Rare Extended Interview. Plant Based News. Available: https://plantbasednews.org/news/celebrities/joaquin-phoenix-vegan-dad-extended-interview/ [Accessed 11 August 2026].