Anjelica Huston ("Smash") told "Piers Morgan Tonight" guest host Rosie O'Donnell that she's willing to "be a pain in the ass" if it means preventing animal cruelty.
Comparing TV show "Luck," cancelled after a third horse died, with the seemingly positive use of horses in the film "War Horse," Huston said, "I understand the need to use animals in film, but you have to be really really extra careful."
If wranglers are not sensitive to their treatment of animals, Huston takes a stand. She said that she's witnessed animal mistreatment, and "if I see bad behavior, I don't go to work. I simply will not work." While shooting a film in Italy, she saw Irish Wolfhounds being mistreated. "I said, 'Well that's fine, until that wrangler goes, I'm not walking on.' So I can be a pain in the ass about it."
The treatment of animals in the entertainment industry has recently come under the spotlight after the cancellation of "Luck," but the issue has been debated for many years.
The film "Water For Elephants" faced scrutiny last year after undercover footage alleged that the movie's star elephant was previously abused. The film "Zookeeper" also came under fire after the featured giraffe collapsed and died after his scenes had wrapped.
Recently, Super Bowl commercials featuring animals were criticized by animal welfare groups. CareerBuilder.com's chimpanzee ad fell under particularly strong criticism from a Lincoln Park Zoo campaign and PETA (with support from Huston).
According to PETA, "Young chimpanzees and orangutans used in ads, movies, and TV shows are torn from their loving mothers, causing trauma to both infant and adult. The youngsters, who do not understand what is expected of them in a totally unnatural environment, are commonly beaten and electrically shocked behind the scenes and kept in cramped metal cages." In the same campaign, Huston sent a scathing letter to CareerBuilder, stating, "These chimpanzees are set to endure a lifetime of abuse for your 30-second spot—a point that no thinking person will find funny in the least."