Actor and vegan veteran Joaquin Phoenix has stated that he will educate his son River Phoenix on veganism - but will not 'force' him to follow his beliefs
Oscar-winning actor and vegan activist Joaquin Phoenix revealed in an interview that he will not “force” his son to be vegan.
Phoenix and actor Rooney Mara announced the birth of their baby boy River Phoenix in September 2020. The plant-based couple plan to educate their son about the reality of animal agriculture.
Joaquin Phoenix has been a vegan since he was three years old and has since gone on to join the vegan movement, using his platform to educate people on veganism and raise awareness on intensive farming.
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“I’m not going to perpetuate the lie, but I’m also not going to force him to be vegan”
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Phoenix shared: “Certainly I would hope that [he is vegan], but I’m not going to impose my belief on my child… I don’t think that’s right.”
Despite taking this approach, the Joker actor will still educate his son on the reality of the meat and dairy industry.
“I’m not going to indoctrinate him with the idea that McDonald’s have a Happy Meal because there’s nothing f***ing happy about that meal. And I’m not going to tell him that it’s OK to read books about all the wonderful little farm animals, and they say ‘oink oink oink’ and ‘moo moo moo,’ and not tell him that that’s what a hamburger is.”
Phoenix continued: “I’m not going to perpetuate the lie, but I’m also not going to force him to be vegan. I’ll support him. That’s my plan”
“We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby”
Similar to many celebrities, Joaquin Phoenix has used his platform to educate and spread awareness of the vegan movement.
The multi-award-winning star dedicated his Academy Award speech to spread awareness of the cruel dairy industry, exclaiming: “We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable.
“Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”
The actor has been involved in many activist campaigns such as rescuing a newborn calf and its mother from a slaughterhouse. He also tied himself to London’s Tower Bridge attached to a 390 square foot banner urging people to “go vegan”.
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