Alan Cumming poses naked for new PETA ad: ‘I’m the vegan option’

A good actor can show off many sides of himself. Alan Cumming is certainly no exception.

The acclaimed actor, who is vegan, appears naked in a new ad promoting veganism for PETA shot at Ladybird, a restaurant in New York City’s East Village.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve been naked in an East Village restaurant,” he said in a behind the scenes video for the shoot. “Let’s leave it at that.”

In the video, Cumming poses in his birthday suit with a plate of baked goods covering his milk and cookies. Another image captures him with a menu in front of his nether region. A third one features him splayed across a bar with a lettuce leaf over his groin area, while in another shot he stands with an eggplant covering him up.

Cumming extolled the virtue of choosing a vegan lifestyle.

“If someone is questioning being vegan, I would say to them, ‘Don’t be ridiculous — just do it. It’s much, much easier than you think. We’re not living in the dark ages anymore. You can totally function,’” he said.

The “Cabaret” star also explained how his choice to go vegan stemmed from what may seem like an unlikely source.

“The reason I became a vegan is because Mike Tyson is a vegan. And I thought, ‘If Mike Tyson can do it, surely I can,’” he said.

PETA recommends going vegan, for a multitude of reasons, including the fact it “spares nearly 200 animals immense suffering and terrifying deaths every year,” while also noting the health benefits to humans.

“Vegan eating provides us with all the nutrients we need, minus the saturated fat, cholesterol, and contaminants found in animal flesh, eggs, and dairy,” the organization says.

“Scientists have also found that vegans have stronger immune systems than meat-eaters, which means they’re less susceptible to everyday illnesses such as the flu. Vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than omnivores.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com