James Cromwell has revealed that he became a vegan on the second day of filming the classic 1995 film Babe, after discovering that the animals he had been working with were being served for lunch. The actor, who played farmer Hoggett, said that when he broke for lunch before the rest of the cast and crew, the animals were on the table 'cut up, fricasseed, roasted and seared'.
Cromwell also recalled the challenges of the role, including a battle over his accent. Director Chris Noonan originally wanted an all-Australian cast, but a casting director pushed for Cromwell. The studio initially insisted he use an American accent, but he ultimately re-recorded his lines in a British accent. During a makeup test, producer George Miller told him to lose his sideburns, but Cromwell refused, prompting Miller to walk off.
The film's realistic animal characters were achieved through a combination of real animals, animatronics, and puppetry. An animatronic sheep was placed among real sheep, and the crew often bet on which was fake. For Babe, a prosthetic head was used, requiring hairs to be punched in one at a time. To change from a standing to sitting pig, the head had to be removed and all hairs re-punched. A chemist developed a skin-like silicone that is still used in the industry today.
Cromwell also shared a poignant moment during the final scene. When asked how to deliver the line 'That'll do pig, that'll do', he looked directly into the camera lens and saw his father's reflection. This brought closure to their strained relationship, as his father had been a critical director.
The only negative feedback Cromwell heard about the film came from a woman who said it ruined her relationship with her daughter, as they used to enjoy Big Macs together but her daughter would no longer eat animals. Cromwell dismissed the complaint, saying: 'If that’s what you based your relationship on, it sucks anyway!'
