A protester from the animal rights organization PETA disrupted the Los Angeles premiere of the film Twisters on Thursday as director Lee Isaac Chung and stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell spoke to the audience before the screening.
The incident took place amid a protest at the Westwood Regency Village Theatre targeting a rodeo sequence in the action-adventure film, according to PETA.
A staff member for The Hollywood Reporter A bystander told the outlet that “the protester ran down the hallway and lunged onto the stage” before the film was shown.
One protester walked to the front of the theater once the audience was seated and waved a sign while shouting, “There is no excuse for animal abuse, the movie needs a disclaimer,” a witness said. People.
Security officers threw the protester to the ground, police handcuffed her and took her away, the outlet reported.
A protester from the animal rights organization PETA disrupted Thursday’s premiere of the film Twisters in Los Angeles in an incident that took place amid a larger protest at the Westwood Regency Village Theatre.
The film’s stars, Glen Powell, 35, and Daisy Edgar-Jones, 26, spoke to the audience before the screening, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The stars were photographed during the entrance on Thursday.
Once the protester was led away, Powell finished her pre-movie speech, handing the microphone to co-star Anthony Ramos, 32, who acknowledged the incident, saying, “It was a wild intro, I had to say it,” People reported.
On Thursday, PETA shared footage of the protest at the site on its Twitter account, saying: “We demand a disclaimer! @universalpics, it’s time for a reality check. The @Twisters rodeo date scene glorifies animal torment, violence, and death.”
Several social media posts showed protesters demonstrating at the premiere, saying, “There is no excuse for animal abuse,” while holding signs that read, “Stop glamorizing rodeos” and “Tornadoes are lassos, not animals.”
PETA issued a press release on Tuesday announcing the rally in an effort to “criticize the film for forcing animals to perform distressing scenes that glorify rodeos.”
The organisation said its members were asking “Universal Pictures to include a disclaimer in the film’s credits about the real cruelty inherent in the events – in which cows (including calves), horses and other animals are tormented, mutilated and often killed – and to discourage the public from attending them.”
In a prior statement on its websiteThe organization said it wanted viewers to “consider the exploitation behind the disturbing rodeo scenes staged for the film.”
PETA said: ‘Rodeos provoke and terrify normally docile animals into appearing ferocious and aggressive, using cruel electric prods, flank and bucking straps, and spurs, which burn, wound, or dig into their skin and sensitive tissue. Injuries and deaths are common among animals at these events.
‘Every respectable animal welfare organization opposes rodeos, so this summer’s top movie should condemn, not glorify, this blood sport.’
(L-R) Twisters stars Anthony Ramos, 32, Edgar-Jones and Powell, and director Lee Isaac Chung, 45, were photographed during entrances and faced the audience during the intermission.
Ramos acknowledged the incident, saying: “It was a wild introduction. I had to say it!”
Ramos and Powell were seen entering the venue on the busy night.
PETA shared on its Twitter account X/ images of the protest at the site on Thursday
Protesters were seen protesting at the premiere in several social media posts.
A protester held a sign that read: “Rodeos are nightmares for animals.”
The film, a standalone sequel to the 1996 film, also stars Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack and Kiernan Shipka.
According to a synopsis of the film, “Two storm chasers on the brink of divorce must work together to create an advanced weather warning system by targeting extremely violent tornadoes.”
Twisters opens in theaters nationwide on July 17.