Dustin Hoffman has accused HBO of acting precipitously when it shut down production of his critically acclaimed Luck series after it was reported that three horses died during its production. In an interview with Reuters, Hoffman said, They closed us down like a guillotine. The facts were so distorted that it frightened HBO into making that hasty decision. It really was a freak accident. His comment drew an angry rebuke from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which spearheaded the campaign to have the production shut down. In an open letter to Hoffman, PETA Associate Director Michelle Cho said, Twelve whistleblowers who worked on Luck contacted PETA, and they all made the same allegations: The horses being used were unfit, arthritic, drugged, and pushed beyond their capabilities. There is nothing accidental about this. Cho added that Hoffman had ignored the group's efforts to bring the alleged mistreatment to his attention. As an executive producer, you most definitely shared responsibility for ensuring that every effort was being made to create a safe environment for the animals used, and you failed. The corpses of three horses are evidence that you and others in positions of authority shirked your duties. Now, to add insult to real-life injury, you have brazenly decided to defend that conduct and to take HBO to task for pulling the plug on this deadly show.