‘Succession’ Actor James Cromwell Superglues Himself to Starbucks Counter in PETA Protest

The Oscar nominee was part of the organization’s campaign to get the coffee chain to stop charging customers extra for nondairy milks

james cromwell
PETA

Extra charges for oat milk can be annoying, but veteran actor James Cromwell took his ire to the register when he superglued his hand to the counter of a Starbucks in New York City as part of a PETA-affiliated protest against the coffee chain’s surcharging for nondairy milk substitutes.

The Oscar nominee and honorary PETA director, known for “Babe,” “L.A. Confidential” and most recently “Succession,” was just one of several animal rights protestors at the Midtown Manhattan location on Tuesday. Police eventually arrived on scene to shut down the store. 

In a video shot by PETA and livestreamed on Facebook, the actor can be seen sitting on top of the counter, with his right hand stuck in front of the cashier. “My friends at PETA and I are calling on Starbucks to stop punishing kind and environmentally conscious customers for choosing plant milks. We all have a stake in the life-and-death matter of the climate catastrophe, and Starbucks should do its part by ending its vegan upcharge,” Cromwell, who has been vegan since 1995, said in a statement. 

It was unclear how long Cromwell was attached to the counter. Police are seen walking around in the coffee shop in the video.

According to PETA, Cromwell’s action is the latest in PETA’s campaign against Starbucks, which includes daily sit-ins at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle and a letter from Paul McCartney addressed to retiring CEO Kevin Johnson.

PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has often courted controversy in its protests and methodology — so much so that there are lists documenting their most offensive advertisements, such as those that compare animal cruelty to the Holocaust and slavery. 

Cromwell has long been affiliated with PETA, and been an activist for myriad causes dating back to the 1960s, including the anti-Vietnam war movement and Black Panther Party. He has been arrested several times for his protest participation, including three times for animal rights-related causes.

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