When Joaquin Phoenix won the Oscar for best actor, he used the opportunity to give an emotional speech about baby cows and screaming cow moms.

It was odd, but he made a few good points about milk, and animal cruelty.

Less than 48 hours after his speech, he decided to take things a step further, and headed out to a slaughterhouse to see if what he said was true.

DEADLINE, with what happened next.

A just-released video from Farm Sanctuary shows the somber 45-year-old star liberating both the calf and her mother from a Pico Rivera slaughterhouse while visiting the facility with his fiancee, Rooney Mara, and a delegation of the Los Angles Animal Save activist group.

“You still wake up sometimes, don’t you? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the lambs cows”.

Here’s Phoenix in action at the slaughterhouse:

He named the cow refugees Liberty and Indigo, before releasing a statement through the activist group, LA Animal Save.

“I never thought I’d find friendship in a slaughterhouse, but meeting Anthony and opening my heart to his, I realize we might have more in common than we do differences. Without his act of kindness, Liberty and her baby calf, Indigo, would have met a terrible demise. Although we will continue to fight for the liberation of all animals who suffer in these oppressive systems, we must take pause to acknowledge and celebrate the victories, and the people who helped achieve them.

Shaun Monson, Amy Jean Davis, and the entire LA Animal Save community, have taken their pain of bearing witness and turned it into effective, diplomatic advocacy for the voiceless. As a result, Liberty and Indigo will never experience cruelty or the touch of a rough hand.

My hope is, as we watch baby Indigo grow up with her mom Liberty at Farm Sanctuary, that we’ll always remember that friendships can emerge in the most unexpected places; and no matter our differences, kindness and compassion should rule everything around us.”

No one can accuse Phoenix of being all talk and no action.

I’m sure Rose McGowan would agree that Natalie Portman could learn a thing or two from him.

[source:deadline]