PETA Global Issue 3

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O scar-nominated actor James Cromwell is well known for his roles in Babe, L.A. Confidential, The Queen, and The Green Mile, among many other films – but “PETA” to the core, he’s a real activist, too. We talked to him about being dragged away in handcuffs after interrupting a meeting at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to protest the school’s brain experiments on cats (which were shut down shortly afterward) and going suit-and-tie to Capitol Hill. He explained why he’ll give up his own freedom if necessary to defend animals – and how everyone can make a difference. PETA: Do you have any regrets about your time in jail? James Cromwell: None. Going to jail is a statement. If petitions and protests aren’t getting results, we have to up our game. My inconvenience and discomfort are temporary. For animals in laboratories, the torture only ends when they die. PETA: Why did you crash the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting? JC: The experiments conducted at the Madison campus were egregiously cruel. Cats suffered from chronic infections after holes were drilled into their skulls and metal coils implanted in their eyes. They were starved to keep them submissive and compliant. No one with a conscience should just stand by. PETA: That’s a provocative T-shirt you’re wearing. JC: It illustrates what happened to Double Trouble, one of the cats at the university. Experimenters killed her and cut off her head after she developed a severe infection. When I wear this shirt, it sparks conversations about how profoundly flawed animal experiments are and the suffering that they cause PETA: You decided to make a statement when you turned 75, didn’t you? JC: Yes, on my 75 th birthday, I went to Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress about maternal-deprivation experiments that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was conducting on baby monkeys, taking them from their mothers and scaring the daylights out of them with mechanical snakes and loud noises, until they became psychotic. PETA launched a campaign against these cruel practices and asked me to join in. NIH did end the experiments and closed the laboratory. I’m pleased to have played a part. PETA: Obviously, your fame helps bring attention to these issues. JC: Whether I’m standing outside Wendy’s with a pro-vegan poster or caging myself inside LAX to protest shipping primates to laboratories, I’m just Jamie, a citizen, trying to draw

James Cromwell: © Emma Stuart | Black T-shirt graphic: © iStock.com/VectorPocket

James Cromwell

‘No One With a Conscience Should Just Stand By’

attention to issues that shouldn’t be ignored. I believe in the ’60s saying

“Power to the people.” If we don’t fight injustice, nothing will change.

Take Action Now Get your own “It’s Not the Cat” T-shirt at PETACatalog.org and spread the word about indefensible experiments.

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