Watch Pharrell Try to Engage With PETA Protester Who Crashed 'Piece by Piece' Screening: 'You’re Right'
Later, Pharrell said he was "actually working on" the animal-focused issues at the core of the group's message.
Pharrell pressed onward down the path of peace when politely permitting a protester’s PETA-aligned message at a recent Toronto International Film Festival screening.
Footage shows a protester holding a handmade sign emblazoned with "Stop supporting killing animals for fashion"" at one point dodging around the theater where fest attendees had gathered to watch Piece by Piece, the Louis Vuitton Men’s creative director’s animated documentary brought to life through Lego animation. Instead of simply shutting down the protester, as some might expect in such a scenario, Pharrell initially opted to offer some words of support.
"You know what? You’re right," Pharrell, who recently co-hosted an Olympics celebration with LV, told the protester. He also offered a "God bless you" multiple times, as well as urged the crowd to "give her a round of applause." Meanwhile, the protester was seen appearing to be escorted out of the venue, though shouts (including "stop torturing animals") could still be heard.
Later, he addressed the incident in greater detail.
"Rome wasn’t made in a day," he said. "Sometimes when you have plans to change things and situations, you have to get in a position of power and of influence where you can change people’s minds and help progression. That is not necessarily the way to do it. And sitting in my position, when I have conversations on behalf of organizations like that unbeknownst to them, they come out here and do themselves a disservice. But that’s okay. When that change comes, everybody in this room will remember that I told you we’re actually working on that. If she would have just asked me, I would have told her. But instead she wanted to repeat herself."
Complex has reached out to PETA reps for comment. This story may be updated.
The upper echelons of the fashion world have long been targets of these demonstrations. In fact, this isn’t the first time Pharrell himself has been met with such protests, and judging by a PETA rep’s comments on Tuesday night, it may not be the last.
