Halle Berry recently sparked concern after she revealed that she skinned a squirrel for a scene in her upcoming horror-thriller film, Never Let Go.
During CinemaCon held last week, the 57-year-old actress revealed that for the role, “I had to really skin a squirrel. These things wildly challenged me to create some reality within this world that felt so foreign.”
She further revealed that “eating bugs and frogs – raw frogs – in the woods” was part of her “method acting” process to portray the role of someone in survival mode in the wilderness.
However, the People for the Ethical treatment of Animals (PETA) assured concerned fans that it was all just some “movie magic” perfectly executed by the film’s director Alexandre Aja with the help of realistic props.
PETA’s director of animals in film and television, Lauren Thomasson, said in a statement, “While moviegoers may squirm in their seats at the sight of a ‘squirrel’ being skinned, Alexandre Aja’s use of movie magic instead of a thinking, feeling being in Never Let Go once again proves that technology is the key to modern, humane movie production.”
She further applauded Aja and Berry for their “responsible choice,” and urged “other filmmakers to commit to making their production positive for animals by using only props, computer-generated imagery, and other special effects.”