James Cromwell Helps Save a Baby Pig From Slaughter — Which He Names Babe!
The actor helped rescue a piglet who fell off of a truck on the way to get slaughtered and named it after the very movie that inspired him to go vegan
How James Cromwell met his newest friend is a full-circle moment for the Babe actor.
Cromwell, 83, helped saved a piglet who fell off of a truck on the way to get fattened for slaughter and named him Babe in honor of the very film that inspired him to go vegan.
"Having had the privilege of witnessing and experiencing pigs' intelligence and inquisitive personalities while filming the movie Babe changed my life and my way of eating, and so I jumped at the chance to save this real-life Babe," Cromwell said in a statement from PETA.
"Every pig deserves to live in peace and joy at a sanctuary, choosing when to frolic, where to forage, and how to spend their time, yet few do."
According to the statement, the Succession star had to meet the creature after he was found scraped, bruised and covered in mud just before Easter (where ham is a popular dish served on the holiday) — and did so on Zoom Friday.
The actor shared a recording of his virtual meeting with Babe on Twitter, writing, "This sweet little guy is NOT Easter dinner. He jumped off a transport truck and will now be traveling to an animal sanctuary to live a peaceful life. That'll do pig. That'll do. @peta."
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In the clip, Cromwell greeted the baby pig: "Hello there, little man. I understand your name is Babe. I knew a pig named Babe. What a smart little pig she was. Bet you are too."
"I hear you're rather an extraordinary pig — besides being sleepy," he said as the piglet nestled in a blanket. "So you jumped off a truck so you wouldn't be Easter's dinner. What a great thing to do."
"Nobody should have any animal for dinner. 'Invite the animals to dinner,' that's what I say," he asserted.
Related:James Cromwell Superglues Hand to Starbucks Counter to Protest Starbucks' Upcharge for Vegan Milk
He continued, "We're going to go to a sanctuary and you're gonna meet a lot of other incredible animals."
"I'm looking forward to meeting you and all the other animals, and I'll see you there," Cromwell said of Indraloka Animal Sanctuary, where he will help transfer Babe once the animal is healthy enough, according to the statement.
Cromwell then repeated the same last words he said in the ending of Babe: "That'll do pig, that'll do."
Babe (1995) tells the story of the titular piglet as he escapes becoming Christmas dinner when Farmer Hoggett (Cromwell) wins him at a county fair. The film inspired Cromwell to go vegan, and the actor has been a longtime PETA advocate — participating in protests and even serving as an honorary director of the organization.
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