Babe actor James Cromwell has been charged with trespassing over a protest he led at Seaworld back in July.
The 77-year-old interrupted an orca show at Seaworld San Diego in order to speak about animal rights while wearing a t-shirt that read ‘Seaworld sucks’.
He is now facing up to 90 days in jail and a $400 fine over the misdemeanor charge.
James Cromwell is facing 90 days in jail or a $400 fine for trespassing after he interrupted an orca show at Seaworld in San Diego in July to protest animal curelty
The 77-year-old wore a ‘Seaworld sucks’ t-shirt and waved banners saying ‘Seaworld kills’ as he urged people not to watch the show
Arraignment documents were filed on Friday in San Diego County Superior Court and first reported by the San Diego Union Tribune.
Seaworld announced that it was ending orca shows at its San Deigo park back in 2015, but said this year that it would stop orca breeding and shows at all its parks.
However, whales already owned by the company will still be kept in captivity and used for ‘natural encounters’, park management said.
Activists are calling for all the animals to be released into sanctuaries immediately.
Cromwell, who also starred in Oscar-winning film LA Confidential, previously vowed to serve jail time rather than pay fines for arrests related to his work as an activist.
Activists are calling on Seaworld to release its remaining orcas after the firm announced it would be phasing out the shows back in March
A month before the Seaworld demonstration he spent a week behind bars after an arrest for obstructing traffic during a protest over a new power plant in New York.
He was offered the opportunity to pay a $350 fine and serve 16 hours of community service instead, but chose instead to be jailed.
Speaking after his release, he said the stunt served its purpose by getting the issue into the media raising awareness.
He told Mail Online: ‘The only way to get across is to get arrested. Even when we were arrested: no publicity.
Cromwell (pictured in Babe) has vowed to go to jail rather than pay fines for his activist work because it helps to generate more publicity
‘Even when we were found guilty: no publicity. But when celebrities go to jail, oh wow it’s a story suddenly.’
Explaining the motivation for his actions, he added: ‘We can’t demonize people because of their political stance.
‘We have to say: “Look, it won’t matter ultimately whether you’re Republican, radical right, or progressive”.
‘All that will matter is that we’re able to drink the water, breathe the air, live on the land. That’s what’s threatened.’