PETA confront Pharrell at premiere of his LEGO biopic
At the premiere of his new LEGO-themed biopic in Toronto on September 10th, musician, producer and all-around creative Pharrell was confronted by animal rights activists.
His new movie, Piece by Piece, tells the story of Pharrell but through LEGO. During a post-screening Q&A at Toronto International Film Festival, a protestor representing animal rights group PETA interrupted the hitmaker, taking issue with his role at Louis Vuitton.
Pharrell was appointed the fashion house’s creative director in 2023. The luxury brand is known to use wild animal skins and fur in its collections, and as someone with a lot of say in the company, it’s likely Pharrell will approve the decision to use such material.
The protestor jumped in during the Q&A, holding a sign that read, “Pharrell: Stop Supporting Killing Animals for Fashion.” She was also yelling over anyone trying to ask a question, saying, “Stop torturing animals!”
The response might not have been what people were expecting. Rather than demanding that the woman leave or ignoring her calls as she was removed from the room, Pharrell showed sympathy and solidarity. “You’re right. You’re right. You’re right. God bless you,” he said to her before instructing the crowd to give the protestor a round of applause. The protestor ignored Pharrell’s comments and continued yelling, eventually leading to her being escorted out of the venue by security.
PETA have uploaded a video of the event onto their Instagram. They wrote in the caption, “We CRASHED Pharrell’s Piece By Piece film premiere at TIFF to remind the Louis Vuitton men’s creative director that animals suffer for fur & wildlife skins,” they continued, “Do the right thing and switch to faux & vegan alternatives NOW!”
Tracy Reiman, the PETA executive VP, also made her voice heard. She added in a statement, “We would be happy to stop disrupting Pharrell’s appearances, but despite a lot of lip service, he’s yet to ditch fur and exotic skins.”
Pharrell and PETA have a relatively bumpy relationship. He got unwanted attention from the activists when Louis Vuitton released their ‘Millionaire’ Speedy bag. It was priced at $1million and made out of crocodile skin, which many people deemed unacceptable.
In an open letter to Pharrell, PETA Senior VP Lisa Lange criticised his decision to use animals in his designs. “When you were made men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, we hoped animals might get lucky and that you would choose vegan fabrics, which are the preference of today’s ethical and environmentally conscious customers,” she said, “But we aren’t happy to note your newest design… When it comes to animals being used for fashion, it isn’t beautiful – it’s abuse.”