Aside from acting, James Cromwell is a well-known animal rights activist, and he was seen protesting the higher price of vegan milk in a New York City Starbucks on Tuesday.
For the protest organized by the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the 82-year-old Oscar nominee, known for “Babe: Pig in the City” and “L.A. Confidential,” channeled his part as the crotchety, anti-capitalist brother of a millionaire media tycoon.
Cromwell, wearing a “Free the Animals” T-shirt, sat at the Starbucks counter and delivered a statement condemning the premium for vegan milk substitutes.
“When will you stop raking in huge profits while customers, animals and the environment suffer?” he demanded as fellow activists streamed the protest on Facebook.
Cromwell glued his hand to the counter, then scraped it off with a knife later. There were no arrests, according to the police.
Plant-based milk drinks cost 50 cents to a $1 extra at Starbucks locations in the United States.
“Customers can customize any beverage on the menu with a non-dairy milk, including soymilk, coconutmilk, almondmilk, and oatmilk for an additional cost (similar to other beverage customizations such as an additional espresso shot or syrup),” a Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement. “Pricing varies market by market.”
The spokesperson said Starbucks respects customers’ right to voice their opinions “so long as it does not disrupt our store operations.”
"Succession" actor James Cromwell super-glued himself to a Starbucks counter in protest of their extra charge for vegan milk. pic.twitter.com/ou63Zp0om7
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 10, 2022