Director Richard Linklater: 12 Years for ‘Boyhood’ and 30 Years for Animals

From Slacker to the Before trilogy, Richard Linklater has made movies that are compelling, intelligent, and uniquely his own. In 2002, he committed to a 12-year journey that culminated in the Oscar-nominated Boyhood. But back in 1985, he made another profound commitment: He recognized animals as sentient beings and decided to stop eating them.

On the vast majority of today’s farms that raise animals for food, animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy, windowless sheds and confined to wire cages, gestation crates, and barren dirt lots. Most of these animals will never feel the sun on their backs or breathe fresh air until the day they are loaded onto trucks and sent to slaughter. The meat industry is horrifically cruel, violent, wasteful, and highly destructive to the environment, while its products are bad for your health and 100 percent unnecessary. In contrast, going vegetarian has endless benefits even beyond saving animals’ lives. From cutting the risk of cancer, strokes, and heart disease to preventing further damage to the environment, removing meat from your diet is the smart choice.