‘Fuller House’ Star Launches Bid to Extinguish Circus Cruelty
Juan Pablo Di Pace, Who Plays a Dad in the Netflix Reboot, Says He Would Never Take His Own Kids to a Cruel Animal Circus
For Immediate Release:
January 11, 2018
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Pointing a fire extinguisher at a ring of flames in front of an image of a cowering tiger, Fuller House star Juan Pablo Di Pace appears in a new PETA campaign that proclaims, “Extinguish Circus Cruelty.” The actor, who plays exuberant dad Fernando in the popular Netflix series, urges parents never to take their children to circuses with animal acts and, instead, to take them to shows that feature only talented human performers.
“My love for animals really comes from being a kid and discovering stray cats and dogs … and bringing them in,” begins Di Pace in an accompanying video spot.
“I have a special love for felines. I love small cats, big cats. … To see what things are done to them in the circus is really upsetting … they sleep in tiny cages. They’re forced to do things they don’t want to do. They beat them up,” he says. “[W]hat we see in the circus is just a fraction of what these poor animals have to go through.”
The actor goes on to say that he’s “unnerved” by seeing animals perform tricks and that he would never take his own kids to a circus that featured animals, because it would be upsetting. “And I wouldn’t want them to think it’s OK,” he concludes. “Because it’s not. … [Y]ou can really go to the circus watching amazing performances by clowns or acrobats or dancers. … [L]et’s stop [going to animal circuses].”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that lions, tigers, and other animals used in circuses are often beaten and whipped to make them perform confusing tricks and are commonly confined to cages barely larger than their own bodies.
He joins a long list of celebrities—including Kate del Castillo, Penélope Cruz, Eva Mendes, George Lopez, and Edward James Olmos—who have helped PETA or its affiliates promote kindness to animals.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
