- [Narrator] Welcome back to part two
of why these 13 actors went vegan.
If you haven't seenY part one yet,
click the tab on the upper right side.
Number seven, Peter Dinklage.
Best known for his roles
as Tyrion Lannister
on HBO's hit series Game of Thrones.
- There's always been
more than enough death
in the world for my taste.
I can do without it in my leisure time.
- [Narrator] And as Eitri
in Marvel Studio's Avengers: Infinity War.
Peter Dinklage has been a vegetarian
for all of his adult life.
In his teens, Dinklage had
great respect for animals.
- I think the reason why,
one of the reasons why
I'm vegetarian is I had a
lot of animals when I was kid
and my dad was a big
nature conservationist
and made me and my brother very aware
of respect for nature and animals.
- [Narrator] The star said, at the time
I was doing it because
of my love for animals,
but also for a girl.
I've continued to stay with it
out of my great respect
for animals though.
The star recently became vegan too
and has friended campaigns for a number
of animal rights organizations.
In 2014, he started in People
for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals Face Your Food campaign.
- The Images that you're about to see
might make you want to turn away.
But this is what you pay for
every time you buy meat,
eggs, and dairy products.
- [Narrator] He is also an
advocate for pet adoption.
He told Game of Thrones
fans that buying huskies
as dire wolves, a wolf
breed from the show,
is actually hurting dogs.
Not only does this hurt all
the wonderful homeless dogs
waiting for a chance at
a good home in shelters,
but shelters are reporting
that huskies are being abandoned
as often happens when dogs
are bought on impulse.
Dinklage has also acted as spokesperson
for Farm Sanctuary's Walk for Animals.
- So this year I'm serving as the national
Walk for Farm Animals spokesperson.
The Walk for Farm Animals is
sponsored by Farm Sanctuary,
an organization that has been working
to end animal cruelty for over 25 years.
- [Narrator] And is an ambassador
for Cruelty-Free International.
Number six, Jessica Chastain.
Jessica Chastain is an animal lover
who has been vegan for over a decade.
The star has appeared
in award winning films
like Zero Dark Thirty.
- It's been 21 days
since we found the house,
nothing's happened.
- [Narrator] Interstellar,
and Molly's Game.
Chastain reportedly turned to veganism
after realizing that her pescetarian diet
wasn't fueling her enough.
She told W Magazine, I
was really low on energy.
My cholesterol was very
high and the doctor wanted
to put my on medicine.
Following a two week vegan program,
Chastain immediately had
more energy than every
medicine free.
According the PETA, Chastain
cooked vegan soul food
on the set of The Help.
Her co-star Octavia Spencer was a big fan
of the vegan fried chicken.
Chastain is also known to
advocate for shelter adoption.
- I've adopted every animal
I've ever had I've rescued,
or they've rescued me.
- [Narrator] And she praises
cruelty-free products.
Number five, Benjamin Zephaniah.
Benjamin Zephaniah has been
vegan since the age of 13.
In an interview with
Vegan Food and Living,
the star shared how he impressed
his Peaky Blinders costars.
I was on a TV set recently
filming Peaky Blinders
and a few of the cast wanted to go vegan.
They got stick from some older guys
and when I was getting changed,
these guys asked me how
I got a body like this.
So I told them, this is what
you can get being vegan.
The reason he went vegan?
For animals.
- Just as we have tried to end
racism, sexism, and ageism,
we can also try to end specism.
Enjoying a plant-based
diet and vegan lifestyle
is the ultimate protest
against animal exploitation.
- [Narrator] The star
revealed in an interview,
as the only black kid in my
primary school playground,
animals had become my friends.
By 15, I was vegan,
although I didn't give up honey until 16.
For a while, my mother thought
it was just a Rasta phase.
But it wasn't a phase,
and the now 60 year old
claims to never have been tempted
to stray from the vegan lifestyle.
Number four, James Cromwell.
James Cromwell is a vegan
and animal activist.
The actor recalls an epiphany he had
on the set of Babe in 1995.
- That'll do pig, that'll do.
- [Narrator] I was on the set all day,
working with pigs and chicken and sheep.
And when lunch comes around,
you're eating similar
creatures, he started.
I just didn't wanna be part of that system
and I became a vegetarian.
Cromwell has participated
in various animal rights campaigns.
In 2018, he rescued 100 turkeys
destined for Thanksgiving dinner tables.
In 2017, he protested at Sea World
during Boycott Sea World Day.
- 40 orcas have died in captivity here!
Nothing that you see of
orca's life here is natural!
- [Narrator] Where he was arrested
for disrupting an orca show.
The animal advocate also
recently took a dead piglet
into Utah's state capitol building
to raise awareness for animal cruelty.
- Sentient being like us
with thoughts and feelings and a destiny.
And it's taken from millions of animals
every year in the name of
that we can't possibly live
without eating meat.
- [Narrator] Last month,
the actor received
a well deserved Hero to Animals award
for his activism efforts.
Number three, Ellen Burstyn.
This 86 year old actor has been vegan
for over 30 years.
Known for her roles as Chris
MacNeil in 1973's The Exorcist.
- Oh no, that was not a spasm.
- [Narrator] And Sara Goldfarb
in 2000's Requiem for a Dream,
this American actor has
been in the business
since the 1950s.
Burstyn has decorated career
of 160 acting credits and counting.
To keep up with her busy lifestyle,
she told Parade, I eat
healthily and exercise
and I'm not giving up
and saying I'm too old.
I'm just determined to keep on marching
with enthusiasm and
interest and curiosity.
Number two, Craig Robinson.
Craig Robinson is known for his roles
in 2013's This is the End and
2010's Hot Tub Time Machine.
- It's not about losing the weight,
it's about a lifestyle change.
- [Narrator] The star
has also appeared on TV
as Daryl from The Office,
as himself on Mr. Robinson,
and as Doug Judy on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
- Somebody's trying to kill
me, and I need protection.
- [Narrator] You may
even recognize his voice
from hit animated TV shows.
- Proud of you kid.
- [Narrator] Robinson went vegan in 2017,
deciding to adopt the lifestyle
during an alcohol detox.
The comedian also started working out
and lost 50 pounds on
his new health journey.
I'm working out and I've been trying
this vegan lifestyle too.
It's amazing, Robinson says.
There are so many great
vegan restaurants and dishes.
It's much easier than
I thought it would be.
The Chicago native says he does miss
his mid-west comfort
foods like mac and cheese.
But with plenty of vegan options,
he doesn't seem too concerned.
Number one, Alicia Silverstone.
Known for her role as
Cher in 1995's Clueless.
- Ew, get off of me!
Ugh, as if!
- [Narrator] The star has been an advocate
for the vegan lifestyle for years.
She went vegan three years
after Clueless premiered
after battling severe asthma, insomnia,
acne, and constipation.
She now sleeps like a baby
and has a ton of energy.
- You think of aging as this idea
that you're gonna slowly
sort of just unravel
and that's just normal,
but it really isn't.
Getting fat and sick is
not part of getting older.
It's just not.
- [Narrator] A self-proclaimed health nut,
Silverstone launched an
organic vegan health brand.
She teamed up with Garden of Life
to create mykind Organics,
a range of multivitamins
that are certified USDA organic, non GMO,
certified vegan, and gluten free.
- I was pregnant and my midwife suggested
that I might wanna take
a prenatal vitamin.
And I had never been really
interested in taking vitamins
'cause I figured I got
everything I needed from my food.
- [Narrator] When her
midwife encouraged her
to take a prenatal supplement,
Silverstone had issues finding one
with ingredients that she could trust.
- And everything had chemicals
or it wasn't vegan or it wasn't organic,
so I thought this is ridiculous.
I have to make a vitamin.
- [Narrator] The actor feeds her son Bear
a vegan diet too.
She says it's easy to make healthy,
plant-based meals for him.
- I make a big batch of rice,
I eat that fresh, plain, delicious rice.
But then the next day, I
turn it into a stir fry.
- [Narrator] Silverstone also brings
her vegan and eco-friendly
lifestyle into her closet
with a mixture of vintage finds
and sustainable fashion brands.
But according to the star,
she prefers second hand clothing above all
due to its positive impact on the planet.
In 2011, she wrote her first book
called The Kind Diet that
explained her reasons
for ditching animal products.
- This is not a book for vegetarians.
So you should know that.
This is a book for anyone who's eating
whatever the American diet is right now.
So if you're feeling like, well
I don't wanna be vegetarian,
why am I sitting here?
It's exactly who I wanna be
talking to, just so you know.
- [Narrator] She also runs a blog
called The Kind Life
that promotes veganism
and a cruelty-free lifestyle.
That's it for today.
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