‘Game of Thrones’ Star Exposes Animal Cruelty In New Documentary

Vegan “Game of Thrones” star Jerome Flynn stars in a new animal rights documentary that “the film the meat industry doesn’t want you to see.”

“Hogwood: a Modern Horror Story” looks at the practices of factory farms. Produced by British animal rights group Viva!, it draws heavily from a recent campaign against an industrial pig farm in Warwickshire. The charity raised more than £10,000 in 24 hours through crowdfunding to bring the project to life.

The exposé shows Hogwood farmworkers striking pigs with metal riding crops and leaving deceased animals in piles to rot.  Red Tractor, the National Farmers’ Union’s assurance scheme, suspended the farm’s certificate. Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, also cut ties with the farm as a result.

“After seeing the horrendous conditions and animal abuse that is happening behind Hogwood’s walls, I had to do something,” Flynn said

“The pigs of Hogwood aren’t just meat products, they are sensitive, emotionally aware beings just like us and they deserve better than this,” he continued.

Viva! founder and director Juliet Gellatley hopes the documentary will raise awareness about what goes on in the meat industry. “Each day, consumers are being lied to. Through clever marketing and misleading packaging, we are constantly reassured that we have some of the highest welfare standards in the world,” she said.

“This simply isn’t true. The pigs living on Hogwood Farm live short, brutal lives where they are denied all their natural behaviors. Sadly, this farm is just one among many, and that’s why we need this documentary,” Gellatley added.

Gellatley believes films of this nature “have the power to start conversations, change habits, and create real change.”

Jerome Flynn and Animal Welfare

This isn’t the first occasion that Flynn has publicly spoken about animal welfare matters. The 56-year-old actor appeared in a video for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the world’s largest animal rights organization, earlier this year. In the video, Flynn explained that “the vast majority of animals raised for our dinner tables lead absolutely horrific lives.”

He encouraged people to think twice about their food choices because, “If we’re true to our own values, can we really justify inflicting all this suffering and violence on these emotionally sensitive, smart individuals just for a fleeting moment of taste?”