Pig-saving actor James Cromwell says Oscar-nominated Babe role 'changed his life'

Oscar-nominated star James Cromwell has come full circle after rescuing a piglet named Babe from the slaughterhouse.

In the 1995 family film Babe and its 1998 sequel Pig in the City, Cromwell portrayed farmer Arthur Hoggett, who wins the eponymous orphaned hog at a county fair, and was changed forever by the role.

Now an honorary director at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), his latest piece of activism saw the 83 year old organising the transference of a little pig to Pennsylvania's Indraloka Animal Sanctuary after it tumbled off a truck destined for an abattoir.

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The animal in question was apparently found "scraped, bruised and covered in mud" this week.

"Having had the privilege of witnessing and experiencing pigs' intelligence and inquisitive personalities while filming, the movie Babe changed my life and my way of eating, and so I jumped at the chance to save this real-life Babe," read Cromwell's statement.

"Every pig deserves to live in peace and joy at a sanctuary, choosing when to frolic, where to forage and how to spend their time, yet few do."

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Per PETA: "In the meat industry, which slaughters 129 million pigs every year, their tails are chopped off, their teeth are cut with pliers, and the males are castrated — all without painkillers.

"At the slaughterhouse, they're hung upside down and bled to death."

Meanwhile, the screen veteran can be seen playing Ewan Roy in the HBO comedy hit Succession, which is now airing its fourth and final season.

Cromwell's other credits include Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Green Mile.

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