Amidst Oscar nomination campaigns for ‘Joker’ actor Joaquin Phoenix for 2020 award season, the actor has been named by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as the 2019 Person of the Year.
The 2019 Person of the Year is giving Joaquin for his longtime support for animal rights, which is vividly seen in ad campaigns and protest programs for the good of animals worldwide. A vegan in nature, Joaquin made an appearance on the PETA ‘We Are All Animals’ billboards in Times Square and on Sunset Billboard, which aimed at promoting legislation to ban travelling wild animal circuses.
Joining the likes of past PETA honorees Oprah Winfrey, Pope Francis and Angelica Huston, the organization’s president Ingrid Newkirk disclosed about the actor, “Joaquin Phoenix never misses an opportunity to turn the spotlight away from himself and onto animals’ plight and to set a great example of walking the vegan walk.”
As part of his contribution towards animal protections and right, Phoenix has over the years partnered with PETA, raiding campaigns against dog leather, exotic skins fishing the turkey industry and a ban on the use of animal skin in fashion column. He also executive produced ‘The Animal People’, a documentary about animal rights activists coming up against powerful industry interest.
