Succession star James Cromwell admits he’s ‘lost track’ of number of times he’s been arrested

‘Seven or eight times? Maybe more?’ actor said

James Cromwell has admitted that he’s “lost track” of the number of times he’s been arrested.

The Succession star, 83, has taken part in a number of high-profile protests in recent years over the mistreatment of animals.

Speaking at the premiere of the last season of HBO’s hit drama, Cromwell was asked how many times he’d been arrested.

“Oh, I lose track. Seven or eight times? Maybe more,” he told Page Six.

Last year, Cromwell made headlines after supergluing himself to a Starbucks as part of a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) protest against the coffee chain’s decision to charge more for vegan milk alternatives.

“Oh, glue was fun. I had a lot of fun with that one,” he said, adding that the protest didn’t hurt and came off fairly quickly with acetone, although “never quite fast enough for the police who’ve come, because they’re all sitting there wondering how soon I’m going to get out”.

Following that protest, Cromwell explained, the Starbucks in question had to be shut down while it was fumigated, as acetone is a carcinogen.

Cromwell protesting outside the COP15 conference in December (AFP via Getty Images)

“Which is good, because what they were doing was horrendously stupid, charging for non-dairy creamers,” Cromwell added.

In Succession, Cromwell plays Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) brother Ewan, who decides to give the entirety of his grandson Greg’s (Nicholas Braun) inheritance to Greenpeace.

You can read The Independent’s five-star review of season four here.

Cromwell has long been an activist for animal rights and has also been known to lead anti-capitalist sit-ins. He has been vegetarian since 1974 and then went vegan in 1995 after playing Farmer Hoggett in Babe.

In an interview with The Independent in 2022, Cromwell said that, while the film and TV industry might look down on his protests, he had continued to work.

Cromwell (right) has been arrested a number of times for his activist work (AFP via Getty Images)

“I don’t know whether it’s affected my ability to act,” Cromwell said. “Maybe in Hollywood – I think they’d just as soon not have me. But I still work frequently, so that’s good.”

At the time of the interview, Cromwell was under probation for protesting against animal cruelty in Texas, but said that he plans to keep up his activism for as long as possible.

“Laws against legitimate, constitutionally guaranteed protests in this country are becoming more and more prevalent, and they are doing it not to stifle the right but the radical left,” he said.

“I can’t say I’m a revolutionary because that would mean total commitment. But I’m on the cusp, and my time will come when my voice is required again and my presence will make a difference.”