Phoenix, Affleck, Falco Star in PETA’s ‘Vegetarian Icon’ Stamps

For Immediate Release:
November 21, 2013

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

PETA is going postal—literally. Just in time for holiday cards, the animal rights group is launching a limited-edition sheet of U.S. Postal Service–approved photo stamps honoring celebrated vegetarians—including Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Mayim Bialik, Edie Falco, and Sam Simon—and we thought you might be interested in covering this unique project.

Phoenix went vegetarian at the age of 3, after a fishing trip showed him firsthand what “meat” was. “You couldn’t disguise what it was,” he says. “This was what we did to animals to eat them. The animal went from a living, vibrant creature fighting for life to a violent death.” Falco had a similar revelation after viewing footage of factory farming. “Once you’ve seen it, you can’t pretend you didn’t,” she says. “It’s over.” And Affleck agrees. “When people ask me why I don’t eat meat or any other animal products, I say, ‘Because they are unhealthy and they are the product of a violent and inhumane industry,’” he explains.

Bialik of The Big Bang Theory also decided to go vegan out of concern for animals. “Even as a child, I felt very guilty about eating animals and never knew that there was something to do about it,” she says. “And as I got older, it became clearer that there are things that I can do and choices I can make.” Not only is Simpsons cocreator Sam Simon vegan, but one of his many charities, Feeding Families, also distributes nutritious vegan groceries to families who are struggling to make ends meet.

Images of the new stamp sheet—which is available for purchase at PETA.org and also features Alan Cumming, Sarah Silverman, Pamela Anderson, Bob Barker, and many others—can be previewed here.