If your dream man has an Oscar and saves newborn calves in his spare time, then look no further. According to People, Joaquin Phoenix helped save a newborn calf and its mother from a slaughterhouse on Monday, February 10, within 24 hours of his Best Actor Oscar win for Joker. While this may seem like an odd way to spend the day after winning a little gold man, anyone who has followed Phoenix’s award-show journey has shown that he is deeply passionate about environmental and social issues. Phoneix put his money where his mouth is and took the rescued calf, named Indigo, and its mother, Liberty, to Farm Sanctuary — an American animal-protection organization.
In a YouTube video posted by Farm Sanctuary, Phoenix engages CEO and president of the slaughterhouse, Anthony Di Maria, in discussion about the ethics of slaughterhouses before being granted permission to save Indigo and Liberty. There is a solid two minutes of footage of Phoenix carrying the newborn calf in his arms, if you’re into that sort of thing, before mother and child are released into the animal sanctuary to roam relatively free. Rooney Mara must be so proud.