Renowned actor Jeff Goldblum has announced a significant lifestyle change, crediting his work on the Wicked film series with transforming his dietary habits and worldview.
From Meat-Eater to Pescatarian
During an appearance on This Morning, the 73-year-old Hollywood veteran revealed that profound conversations about animal welfare with director Jon Chu during production had profoundly affected him. "Working with Jon Chu is amazing," Goldblum stated. "It's changed me. You know, after doing this movie, we talked about the animal cruelty, I stopped eating meat and poultry."
The actor, who plays the Wizard of Oz in the musical adaptations, emphasized his broader philosophical shift, adding: "We need the world to work for everybody on Earth and every creature, too." Goldblum has now adopted a pescatarian diet, eliminating all meat and poultry while continuing to consume fish.
Wicked's Animal Rights Theme Inspires Cast
Goldblum's transformation aligns perfectly with the themes explored in Wicked: For Good, the second instalment scheduled for release on 21 November. The film continues the story years after the first movie's events, with Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba - now the Wicked Witch of the West - becoming a fugitive fighting for animal rights.
Remarkably, Goldblum joins his co-stars in his dietary convictions. Both Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have maintained vegan lifestyles since 2013, creating an environmentally conscious atmosphere on set.
Hollywood's Growing Plant-Based Movement
This phenomenon of on-set conversions to plant-based diets isn't unique to the Wicked production. Veteran actor James Cromwell famously turned vegan on the second day of filming Babe in 1995 after realizing the animals he'd worked with were served for lunch.
The entertainment industry has seen numerous actors embrace vegetarianism and veganism, with Woody Harrelson reportedly influencing co-stars including Sadie Sink, Thandiwe Newton, and Liam Hemsworth during various film projects. Other prominent advocates include Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, and Zendaya.
Perhaps most memorably, Joaquin Phoenix used his 2020 Best Actor Oscar acceptance speech to campaign against dairy farming, highlighting the growing influence of plant-based ethics in Hollywood.
Goldblum's personal transformation underscores how film projects can create meaningful personal change beyond entertainment, proving that even established veterans can embrace new perspectives later in their careers.
