Top Affiliates

Thanks to his hit 2004 romantic film The Notebook, actor Ryan Gosling has become something of a chick magnet. Now, that title has taken on a whole new meaning! JustJared reports that Gosling, 29, on behalf of PETA, has written a strongly worded letter to Jim Skinner, the CEO of McDonald’s, urging him to reconsider some of the restaurant chain’s practices when it comes to chickens. Gosling’s letter read as follows:

Dear Mr. Skinner,

I was shocked to learn from my friends at PETA that McDonald’s, a company that claims to be an industry leader in animal welfare, still allows its suppliers to use an outdated chicken slaughter method that results in broken wings and legs and causes birds to be scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

Many of McDonald’s suppliers in Europe already use a much more humane slaughter method that eliminates the worst cruelty. What’s your excuse?

Because no federal laws govern the treatment of chickens during slaughter, the responsibility lies in your company’s hands to create and maintain a high standard of animal welfare. I hope you will agree that the time has come for McDonald’s to truly take action to reduce the suffering of chickens killed for its restaurants. I look forward to hearing your decision. Thank you.

Sincerely, Ryan Gosling

The actor and activist, who will next be seen in the marriage-gone-awry drama Blue Valentine, had previously written a letter to the KFC franchise in Canada in 2008, also asking the corporation to change their practices. That missive may have worked, as “just days later, the company that coordinates the purchase of chicken for all Canadian KFCs agreed to phase in the purchase of 100 percent of chicken from suppliers that use these [more humane] methods.”