The actor and activist said that she went vegetarian at the age of nine because she was “very attached to animals,” and added that the environmental impact of factory farming became more of a priority as she got older. Portman first adopted a vegan diet around 2011.

“I think it’s basic empathy that I understood as a child, and understanding […] animals as like myself,” said Portman. She highlighted the role of anthropomorphized characters in cartoons in evoking empathy for animals, an idea that some research papers echo.

She also noted how animal rights and welfare intersect with “so many” other issues, including feminism, labor struggles, and migrant’s rights, including through the industry’s treatment of workers, animals, and specifically in its violent treatment of “female bodies.”

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Portman made the comments while appearing during the closing ceremony of Change NOW’s 2025 conference in conversation with CEO and founder Santiago Lefebvre. The event was a three-day “summit” focused on networking and the discussion of sustainability, resources, and “inclusion.” Other attendees included Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson and Earthshot Prize CEO Hannah Jones, along with other activists and prominent figures.

Read more: ‘I Tried Natalie Portman’s Favorite Vegan Weekday Dish’

‘Every time you eat, you’re thinking about your commitment’

In April, a new study by two of the UK’s leading plant-based healthcare professionals – PBHP’s Dr Shireen Kassam and Dr Laura Jane Smith – highlighted how promoting meat-free diets could help tackle the “intertwined crises” of poor health, food shortages, climate change, biodiversity loss and social injustice, all of which are driven by human activities.

“It’s so connected to so many other issues that it has become a very big part of my life,” Portman told Lefebvre. “And also is a way, I think, you can express your commitment three times a day. […]. Every time you eat, you’re thinking about your commitment to the environment, to nature, to animals, to your values.”

Read more: Is Natalie Portman Vegan? Everything She’s Said About The Movement

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

O’Neal, known for her comedic and food-focused content on YouTube and Instagram, decided to test the recipe in her own kitchen. “We’re going to be making a vegan recipe from an icon and a legend – Natalie Portman,” she told viewers at the start of the video. “She’s just cool, okay? She’s really talented and smart and gorgeous, so I like to do what she’s doing.”

Read more: ‘I Tried Travis Barker’s Pricey Vegan Diet – Here’s What It Was Like’

Chickpea stew recipe

The chickpea stew calls for a handful of pantry-friendly ingredients, including zucchini, garlic, canned chickpeas, whole peeled tomatoes, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and fresh parsley. Portman serves the dish over rice, which O’Neal also prepares using a rice cooker. “When I tell you I can smell the music in this dish,” she said, “here she is, ready. The moment of truth.”

After letting the stew simmer for 25 minutes, O’Neal tasted the dish and gave it a high rating for simplicity and flavor. “That is so yummy and it’s so simple,” she said. “This has to be one of the easiest vegan meals you can make. And it’s cheap.” She praised the balance of flavors: “It’s nice and savory, a little sweet from the tomato, and then it’s got the zip from the pepper flakes.”

O’Neal gave the dish an overall score of 8.87 out of 10, describing it as “beginner-friendly” and “quick and efficient.” While she suggested the addition of mushrooms or roasted garlic for extra depth, she appreciated the straightforward nature of the original recipe. “Natalie really thinks of everything. She offered you good people something healthy, something quick, something easily to be made in a big batch and meal planned.”

Whether you’re a longtime vegan or simply looking for a simple weeknight recipe, Portman’s chickpea stew – and O’Neal’s playful review – offer a reminder that plant-based eating doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious.

You can find more of Merle O’Neal’s recipes and videos on her YouTube channel.

Read more: ‘I Tried Making Vegan Chicken from Scratch – Here’s What Happened’

This article was written by Editorial Team on the PBN Website.

The actor, who is known for her roles in films like Black Swan and Thor, has for years promoted the benefits of a plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle. While her activism may not be as public as that of some celebrities, like Pamela Anderson and Joaquin Phoenix, she has nevertheless publicly advocated against the animal-based food system on numerous occasions. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Natalie Portman’s vegan journey, as well as her animal advocacy. 

When did Natalie Portman go vegan?

Portman went vegetarian at the age of nine, before turning to veganism in 2011 after reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s 2009 book Eating Animals. The book is written on the premise that Foer is trying to decide whether to feed his son animal products. He then goes on a journey to explore the huge ramifications that our decision to eat meat has on animals, the planet, and ourselves. It mostly focuses on the cruelty of industrial farming, but it also considers the environmental and health costs of animal product production and consumption. 

The book has been praised for helping many people turn vegan. Portman had been friends with Foer since meeting him at a book reading as a Harvard University student in 2002. After she finished reading Eating Animals, she called him up and told him it could work as a documentary. The documentary was released in 2019, and Portman co-narrated it with Foer.  

“I think the family part of it was really meaningful to me,” Portman told LA Times in 2018. “I think I was pregnant when I read it, so Jonathan asking himself ‘What do I feed my children?’ really impacted me, because I was going through the same thing. I want to impart my values to my kid, but what’s healthy for them? What helps them?”

What has Natalie Portman said about veganism?

Portman has regularly discussed veganism and animal rights on public platforms. During a speech to 16,000 students in Los Angeles for WE Day, a celebration of youth activists, she said: “Only after I became active in women’s issues did I realize that my veganism was related to those very issues. Dairy and eggs don’t just come from cows and chickens, they come from female cows and female chickens. We’re exploiting female bodies and abusing the magic of female animals to create eggs and milk.”

Portman is referring to the fact that only female cows and hens are of use to the dairy and egg industries. “Dairy cows” are mothers who are forcibly impregnated before having their babies taken from them so humans can take the milk. Hens have been selectively bred to lay around 300 eggs a year (naturally this number would be around 12). This takes a huge toll on their bodies, and they often suffer from broken bones due to calcium deficiency. 

She also urged people not to feel shame about their veganism in a non-vegan world. “So now lots of people make fun of vegans, right?,” she said. “Lots of people make fun of anybody who cares about anything deeply, right? But I’m here to say, it is always a great thing to care … whether it’s environmental issues, animal rights, women’s rights, equality, never be afraid to show how much you care.”

Portman has also discussed the importance of veganism in terms of the environment. Animal agriculture is one of, if not the most, environmentally destructive industries there is. It contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as deforestation and biodiversity loss. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter in 2023, Portman said: “My veganism is in large part an environmental choice, along with animal welfare. I haven’t bought or used any leather or fur or animal products in 20 years.”

Are Natalie Portman’s husband and kids vegan?

Portman has spoken publicly about her decision to raise her kids on a plant-based diet. She is mother to Aleph, 12, and Amalia, six, who she shares with her ballet dancer husband Benjamin Millepied.

Speaking to US Weekly about raising her kids meat-free, she said: “It comes really naturally because I think, you know, you tend to make one thing that everyone eats for dinner. We tend to eat vegan and vegetarian food in the house. It becomes like the normal stuff that kids get used to.”

Portman’s husband isn’t vegan, and this sometimes leads Aleph to question why he’s eating different foods. “There had been conversations because my husband is not vegan, and so my son has asked, ‘Why do you eat that and mommy doesn’t?’ And I talked to him about it, and it’s really changed. I think it’s very natural for children to relate to the stuff.”

She also said that she doesn’t try and persuade her husband to go vegan, stating: “I think that you always want to be respectful of other people’s choices. I don’t want anyone to ever give me a hard time about my choices. And of course, living together, you end up influencing each other too. So I think he’s certainly become more conscious of where his food comes from.”

More like this:

• Is Leonardo DiCaprio Vegan? Here’s What We Know
• Is Woody Harrelson Vegan? Everything He’s Said About The Lifestyle
• Is Ricky Gervais Vegan?
  

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This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

Hemsworth is renowned for his love of meat, according to Portman and fellow co-star Tessa Thompson. (While Hemsworth plays the film’s titular character, Portman and Thompson play Jane Foster and Valkyrie respectively.)

But he’s a “thoughtful” person, says Portman, so he gave up his meat-loving ways for one morning before a kissing scene with her. The actor recently told Capital FM that Hemsworth was “really nice.” 

She said: “The day we had a kiss scene he didn’t eat meat that morning because I’m vegan. And he eats meat like every half hour. Like, that was so thoughtful.”

Thompson chimed in:  “I didn’t even know he could go without eating meat. He’s just like eating bison in the morning. That’s so sweet.”

Chris Hemsworth gives up meat

This isn’t the first time Hemsworth has ditched animal products. When he was filming Avengers: Infinity War, which was released in 2018, he experimented with a plant-based diet, according to his trainer Luke Zocchi.

Zocchi told Today Extra: “It was a big experiment. We tried to see if he could keep all his muscle being vegan. It actually surprised me as well, because we’re all in this mentality of ‘gotta eat animal protein, protein, protein.’ But you can get a lot of protein from beans.”

Natalie Portman’s veganism

While Hemsworth seems to dip in and out of plant-based eating, Portman is a passionate longtime vegan. 

She has invested in several vegan businesses, including French plant-based bacon brand La Vie, and narrated Eating Animals, a vegan documentary released back in 2019. 

In the same year, the actor gave a pro-vegan speech to 16,000 students at a We Day youth activism event.

During her talk, she said: “Lots of people make fun of vegans, right? Lots of people make fun of anybody who cares about anything deeply, right?”

“I’m here to say, it is always a great thing to care…whether it’s environmental issues, animal rights, women’s rights, equality, never be afraid to show how much you care.”

This article was written by Charlotte Pointing on the PBN Website.

Burger King embraces meat-free options

Burger King’s decision to add the vegan bacon wasn’t a huge surprise to La Vie. Earlier this month, it publicly asked the fast-food giant to consider putting its plant-based meat on the menu and even made a petition. “We will try everything for them to notice us,” the brand posted on Instagram.

And Burger King listened. The new option isn’t vegan, however, as it includes dairy cheese. It also comes with crispy onions, salad, BBQ sauce, and flame-grilled vegetable mince.

Outside of France, Burger King has shown it is listening to consumers who want more plant-based choices. In the UK, where a recent study noted that more than a quarter of people want to reduce their meat intake, the chain turned its Leicester Square restaurant totally vegan for a limited period in March.

At the time, spokesperson for the chain Katie Evans said: “We’re incredibly proud of our new meat-free menu; it absolutely delivers on big taste with no compromises and reflects our ongoing commitment to serving our customers a diverse and innovative range of products.”

Burger King UK has also pledged to turn 50 percent of its menu meatless by 2030. 

This article was written by Charlotte Pointing on the PBN Website.

Tom Felton’s investment

Felton, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Draco Malfoy in the popular Harry Potter series, has become an investor and brand ambassador of Jack & Bry. 

Jack & Bry, a UK-based food tech company, arrived on the scene in 2019. The woman-founded business uses jackfruit to craft vegan meats, including burger patties, pepperoni, and fish fillets. 

The company now supplies plant-based products to a wealth of major food chains, including Papa John’s, Pizza Express, Prezzo, and Zizzi. 

In fact, Jack & Bry recently sold its 45 millionth slice of vegan pepperoni pizza, the company reveals in a press release. 

Felton invested in the company at the start of a Series A funding round, which hopes to secure £6 million (US$8 million) over the next three months.

In early 2021, Jack & Bry raked in £1.25 million (US$1.7 million) from Beyond Impact, KM Capital, and former Quorn chairman Clive Sharpe, among others.

“Bryony and Jen have a great product,” Felton said in a statement sent to Plant Based News, referring to the startup’s founders. “I’m excited to be involved and watch the company grow.”

Bryony Tinn-Disbury, CEO and co-founder of Jack & Bry, commented: “We are delighted Tom has joined this investment round.

“His integrity on-screen and off and inter-generational appeal will help not only with our Series A, but to take our brand to the next level.”

Natalie Portman investments

Portman, known for her work in Black Swan, Thor, and the Star Wars franchise, has also been placing her support behind meat-free ventures.

The actor and director recently helped French company La Vie (formerly 77 Foods) secure a record-breaking investment. La Vie, creator of vegan pork, closed a Series A funding round, bringing in $28.3 million. 

It’s said to be the largest funding round in the French alternative protein category to date.

La Vie uses soy, konjac, and sunflower oil to produce its plant-based meat. According to the company, blind taste-testers have not been able to distinguish between La Vie’s vegan bacon and the animal-based variety.

In fact, it was trying the meat-free product out that swayed the investors to partake, according to La Vie’s chief executive and co-founder Nicolas Schweitzer. 

“It was by giving people a taste of our products that we managed to put together this extraordinary round of financing,” Schweitzer said, per Firstpost. “Right away, investors said, ‘Oh, yeah!'”

La Vie, founded in 2019, said it will use the funds to expand across France and the remainder of Europe, including the UK, at “lightning speed.”

The recent investment is not Portman’s first foray into the plant-based space. The actor, who went vegan in 2011, was an early investor of Oatly. The oat milk brand also attracted the likes of Oprah and Jay-Z as investors. 

Further, Portman has placed her financial support behind animal-free leather brand MycoWork, alongside John Legend. 

This article was written by Jemima Webber on the PBN Website.