‘Hit the Floor’ Star Kimberly Elise Shows Off Her Vegan Physique in New PETA Ad

Actor Credits Healthy Vegan Meals With Giving Her Energy and Youthful Good Looks

For Immediate Release:
August 21, 2014

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Dressed in midriff-baring spandex and clutching a bundle of fresh veggies, Hit the Floor star Kimberly Elise stars in a brand-new ad for PETA that proclaims, “I Am Kimberly Elise, and I Am a Vegan.” While the ad’s message is to “be your healthiest, strongest, kindest self” by trying vegan meals, the 47-year-old’s toned physique speaks for itself. The ad, available here, was shot by top celebrity photographer team JSquared.

In an exclusive video interview with PETA—whose motto reads, in part, “Animals are not ours to eat”—Elise talks about what made her go vegetarian (and, soon afterward, vegan) 15 years ago. “[A]s I learned more about the abuses to animals and the way meat was brought to the table and everything that these creatures were going through,” she says, “it was just another motivation and reason for me to live the lifestyle that felt true to my soul and my spirit.”

She is quick to point to the many perks of eating plant-based meals. “My energy is fantastic,” she says. “It’s helped me stay youthful-looking and [have a] certain energy and vibrance that you get when you’re eating food that’s fresh from the earth.”

Going vegan is a great way to boost your health, as vegans are less prone to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and obesity than meat-eaters are. And of course, every person who goes vegan spares more than 100 animals every year from extreme suffering on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and on the decks of fishing boats.

Elise is the winner of multiple Black Reel Awards and NAACP Image Awards. Her most prominent projects include Diary of a Mad Black Woman, For Colored Girls, and Beloved. She joins a growing list of celebrities—including Nia Long, Alicia Silverstone, Casey Affleck, Tia Mowry, Joaquin Phoenix, Forest Whitaker, Peter Dinklage, Kevin Nealon, and Emily Deschanel—who have teamed up with PETA to promote healthy and humane meat-free meals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.