Written by Vegetarian Star on Monday, December 6th, 2010 in Animal Issues, Film & TV, Food & Drink, Interviews, Reality TV.
The season finale of the Oxygen channel’s “Running Russell Simmons” airs Tuesday at 10/9c. Running’s had only six short episodes, but Simmons’ vegan assistant, Simone Reyes, has had opportunities to demonstrate her values about animals on the show. Vegetarian Star conducted an exclusive interview with Simone, learning this beauty looks just as good in a naked PETA protest as she does behind a desk and computer, as she’s also the author of two books on pets.
Tell us about your journey to veganism.
I joined the animal rights movement about 15 years ago by hooking up with a local, pretty radical group called Activists For Animals. We were small, but loud and powerful. AFA did a lot of on the street grassroots protesting. When I first joined I was still wearing leather shoes…that changed immediately. I became a hard core activist after my first “fur walk” with that group. We yelled at fur wearers and put stickers on their backs that said, “I’m an a**hole I wear fur.” Radical, yes, but it was a great introduction for me. I’m a Leo so we like to do it up big.
You’ve written two books on astrology for pets. That’s a different one! Tell us more about that. If my cat is a Sagittarius, what does this mean about kitty?
I love astrology and I love animals so it made sense to me to pair the two. Let’s see…typically a Sagittarius kitty is adventurous and playful. No animal enjoys being alone but cats born under this sign get especially lonely so definitely get him or her a rescued buddy or at the very least spend more time at home whenever possible. (Simone’s books, Astrology for Cats and Astrology for Dogs, are available through Amazon.)
How did you hook up with Russell Simmons? Did you know he was a vegan before you started working with him and did the fact that you both are ever come up before you got hired?
I was part of the Beastie Boys crew. We all hung out together…connected through David Scilken who we lost way too young. Russell was absolutely NOT a vegan when we met, nor was I. This was in the early days of Def Jam. We didn’t live our lives fully awake until much later. I became vegan way before Russell did.
Favorite eco-friendly fashion brands.
Yes! Cri De Couer , Olsen Haus, Stella McCartney. I also get great tips from www.girliegirlarmy.com that always has new designers showcased who are offering cruelty-free options.
Tofu, tempeh or seitan.
I love tofu! I love tofu sour cream and tofu cream cheese. I love tofu ice cream. I always add tofu to my salads. I’m powered by tofu, no question!
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