Joaquin Phoenix, Cynthia Erivo Honored At PETA's Annual Awards Night

After winning at almost all the major award shows, actor Joaquin Phoenix has added one more accolade in his briefcase by receiving the Best Actor trophy at the recently held Oscats Awards in association with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the actor was given the award for his portrayal of the iconic comic-book character Joker in the Todd Phillips' directorial. The star is considered to be a front-runner at the Academy Awards, which will take place next month in Los Angeles.

He will be running for the trophy with the likes of Jonathan Pryce, Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Driver and Antonio Banderas.

This is Phoenix's second accolade this year by the animals rights group. Last year, the "You Were Never Really Here" star was named PETA's Person of the Year 2019 for his continuous support of animal rights.

The “Gladiator” star is now among the elite list of people who have won this prestigious accolade, which includes the likes of Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey and Anjelica Huston.

Meanwhile, actress Cynthia Erivo was chosen as the Best Actress for the movie "Harriet." She, too, has been nominated for an Oscar this year and will be going against the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Saoirse Ronan, Renée Zellweger and Charlize Theron.

On the other hand, Disney's "The Lion King" was awarded Best Picture by the organization for using computer-generated imagery (CGI) to portray the animals instead of utilizing real ones for the film.

Tom Hanks was given special recognition for his movie "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood." The accolade was given to Hanks for using the line, "I do not want to eat anything that has a mother," in the movie.

Lisa Lange, senior vice-president of PETA, issued a statement and noted that it is a pleasure to honor these actors and filmmakers who make sure that no wild animal is used in their films.

"PETA's Oscats show that no decent filmmaker will force wild animals to perform — and animal-friendly messaging is what modern audiences want," Lange said.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Best Picture

"The Lion King"

Best Actor

Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker"

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo, "Harriet"

Best Screenplay

Tim Burton, "Dumbo"

Best Animated Feature

"Abominable"

Best Documentary

"The Animal People"

Special Recognition

Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood"