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Joaquin Phoenix was having a quiet but heavygoing second, after which the Web went on and on in regards to the state of affairs. The actor, whose intense performing has develop into synonymous with equally intense dedication to veganism, was mentioned to be sitting for an apparently lighthearted chat till they began speaking about animals. The query was, “What’s the scariest animal?” And Phoenix’s reply…? There was no concrete reply. As an alternative, he gave the query a pierced insinuation whereas glancing down from above.
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The snap from the interview has Phoenix wanting dapper in his starched white shirt and black tie, his eyes gazing barely off-camera, a face which is an odd combo of amused but unimpressed. The overlay textual content—the “WHAT IS THE SCARIEST ANIMAL?”—lingered ominously over the body like an unfinished setup for some joke. Since Phoenix isn’t about to name any creature “scary” as a result of he’s been a vegan and pro-animal facet activist for eons.
The followers actually picked up on what was meant. Within the good wording of 1 Twitter consumer: “Probably the most terrifying animal is a human being.” And yeah, that actually appeared to be the final consensus within the feedback. One other acknowledged, “A human is the scariest,” whereas a 3rd one took it additional and referred to as people “a plague.” That silence had develop into deafening coming from Phoenix, and together with his involvement in animal rights, that message definitely got here by to a lot of his supporters.
Properly, there have been these in disagreement. Some talked about Steve Irwin, saying that sure, some animals are harmful. A mini-debate started within the reply part, one man saying, “Steve would nonetheless be with us if he weren’t harassing the animal that killed him.” Ouch. There have been additionally these replying in protection of Irwin, calling it a tragic accident. No matter you assume, Phoenix didn’t need to entertain these speaking factors about animals being villains.
Then there have been the foodies. As a result of, after all, on the top of the aforementioned debate in regards to the imperfections of humanity, somebody needed to point out the vegan sandwich referenced within the submit. “Oh that sandwich sounds scrumptious!” exclaimed one viewer, adopted by, “That sandwich truly kicks ass.” Priorities, proper?
What actually mattered was how a lot this refusal to reply someway resonated with a lot of them. There was one fan that went on to reward him for not giving “superficial solutions like the vast majority of Hollywood folks.” One other mentioned that the interviewer missed the apparent subtext: “Us vegans knew what he needed to say & meant… HUMANS.”
Isn’t that precisely the way it goes with Joaquin Phoenix? He doesn’t do issues only for present. Whether or not or not it’s throughout his Oscar acceptance speech and a tirade on dairy cruelty or on late-night interviews the place he offers a raised forehead loaded with skepticism, he at all times retains true to his phrase and his beliefs. There’s no fluff-type performative activism for him; he’s only a man who actually can’t fathom that calling an animal “scary” ought to ever be taken critically when people are sitting round doing… properly, every little thing people do.
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So yeah, possibly the scariest animal is the one asking the query. Or possibly it’s all those laughing alongside with out considering. Both means, in his silence, he mentioned far more than something he might have. That sandwich should have been killer, although. Moreover, there’s a movie within the works with Phoenix and Rooney Mara that may give attention to envy, deceit, and violence.