On a March 2011 episode of Conan, Paul Giamatti talked about how he had punched a horse in the jaw while making Ironclad. Giamatti punched the animal because it would not behave the way that he wanted it to. The actor had to redo a scene several times because they horse would walk backwards during the shoot. Giamatti says that the animal acted better after he punched it in the jaw.

This isn’t an amusing story. This is the behavior of someone who needs help. Paul Giamatti should offer an apology for striking the horse and promise to enter counseling to help control future outbursts.

It is absurd to think that a horse should behave in a certain way just because a bunch of humans want to make a movie about a Medieval king. Giamatti’s response was absolutely uncalled for.

Paul Giamatti,

I’ve been a big fan of Conan O’Brien’s for years, and I watch his show regularly. This is how I happened to hear that you punched a horse in the jaw while making the movie Ironclad. This isn’t the type of behavior that I would expect from an actor who seems to choose challenging roles about thoughtful characters. Instead, it is the behavior of someone who needs help curbing his anger.

Your fans expect more from you. We demand an apology for your outbursts and ask that you enter counseling to prevent you from making such rash decisions in the future.

While watching your interview, I was struck by the absurdity of your story. Do you actually believe that a horse was walking backward to mess with you? This is delusional. Horses and other animals have no reason to behave in the manner in which you expect. Just because you’re making a movie doesn’t mean that you have the right to strike a horse or any other animal.

You told this story as if it weren’t a big deal. It is. Hitting an animal in this way is very close to abuse. It also shows that you have difficulty maintaining a realistic perspective of how other beings in the world interact with you. To say that your perception is paranoid is putting it lightly.

Thank you,

Eric Smallwood