Matthew Morrison is speaking out amid allegations of dog abuse on the set of his upcoming film Crazy Alien.
PETA released a video on Thursday, March 15, that the organization claims was given to them by a whistleblower. The 49-second clip was allegedly filmed on the set of Crazy Alien — which Morrison stars in — in November. PETA says the video shows “a dog locked in a cage, flung into the air, spun around, and then dropped into a frigid river.”
“I’ve just been made aware and seen a video from the set of a film I worked on in China,” Morrison tweeted on Thursday, March 15. “My heart is broken to see any animal treated this way. Had I been on set or known about this, I would have made all efforts to stop this. I’ve called producers to express my outrage.”
TMZ reported that the German Shepherd was “shaken up after the stunt but did not appear to be injured.” The website also claims the scene was shot several times, and Morrison was not on set when it was filmed.
Sadly, this is not the first time animals have been mistreated on film sets. A controversial stunt involving a German Shepherd in A Dog’s Purpose was exposed last year when footage was released by TMZ that showed the dog being forced into a pool of rushing water by a handler despite the fact that he was trying to jump back out. The backlash caused those involved in the movie — including actor Josh Gad and director Lasse Halstrom — to speak out against the treatment of the dog, and the film’s premiere was ultimately canceled.
