Joaquin Phoenix: 7 facts you need to know about the “Joker” actor
A post from 2019.
Joaquin Phoenix is currently on everyone’s lips as the Joker actor. With a rating of 9.6 in the film database IMDb, the film holds a new record for a comic book adaptation – several weeks before the official theatrical release on October 10th. “Joker” premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. The first big trailer already attracted a lot of attention. The character study tells the history and suffering of the most famous of all Batman villains. If you believe the first reviews that were published after the premiere (with eight minutes of applause), then “Joker” is likely to shake up the world of comic films.
The main actor Joaquin Phoenix went to physical and mental limits to interpret the Joker. But Phoenix shouldn’t just be on your radar since this film. What you need to know about the exceptional actor:
The surname Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom on October 28, 1974 in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He is the third of five children. The parents met in California in the late 1960s, soon married and joined the Christian sect Children of God. Together they traveled through South America until they finally ended up in Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. However, she didn’t stay there for long. In 1978 they separated from “Children of God” and returned to California. To symbolize their new beginning, the family changed their last name from Bottom to Phoenix.
Around the same time, Joaquin Phoenix began calling himself Leaf, based on his siblings’ nature-inspired names (Rain, Summer, Liberty, and River). He also wanted to express his deep connection with nature. He also used this name as a child actor until he was fifteen years old.
Joaquin Phoenix is an atheist
Phoenix broke with the idea of a god very early on. His family’s experiences in the Christian sect “Children of God” were the basis for this. According to his own statement, Phoenix doesn’t believe in anything.
““I don’t believe in god. (…) I don’t believe in anything. I think it’s totally right for people to have their own beliefs if it makes them happy, but to me it’s a pretty preposterous idea.”“
In German: “I don’t believe in God. I don’t believe in anything. I think it’s totally right for people to have their own beliefs if it makes them happy, but to me it’s a pretty absurd idea.” This makes his role as Jesus of Nazareth in the film “Mary Magdalene” all the more remarkable. This challenge demanded a lot from him, Phoenix told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The solution lay in the human approach to the person of Jesus in flesh and blood. The core message of the film is that women do not need the approval of men to truly emancipate themselves.
Joaquin Phoenix is a vegan and animal rights activist
As a vegan and activist, Joaquin Phoenix has been actively campaigning for the protection of animals for many years. He is a member of the organizations In Defense of Animals and PETA, for which he has been a prominent face in several campaigns. Even on the set of his films, he insists not to wear any costumes that use real leather. He can be heard as the narrator in the documentary “Earthlings”, which portrays the abuses in animal husbandry for economic purposes. Another example of his commitment against animal cruelty was a campaign against the dog leather industry in China, which markets dog skins as supposed cow skins in the West.
“Walk the Line” and Johnny Cash
Shortly before his death, none other than Johnny Cash himself chose Joaquin Phoenix to portray him in the biopic “Walk the Line.” In addition to the visual representation, this also affected the acoustic one. All vocal tracks in the film were sung by Phoenix himself. Film critic Roger Ebert, the first ever winner of the Pulitzer Prize for film criticism, described his experiences during the film. He was absolutely convinced that it was Cash’s own voice, but the credits in the closing credits proved otherwise. Despite Roger’s great love for Johnny Cash’s music, he could be deceived.
Joaquin Phoenix’s brilliant performance not only thrilled the critics. Financially, the film was an enormous success. Phoenix received one of his three Oscar nominations for the role and was later awarded a Golden Globe.
Joaquin Phoenix wanted to be a rapper
Joaquin Phoenix first turned away from the public eye in the 1990s after gaining fame as a child actor at a young age. He traveled with his father through Central and South America. In October 1993, just three days after his 19th birthday, Phoenix’s older brother River suffered a drug overdose and died. River was also previously known as an actor. The recorded emergency call in which Joaquin asked for help for his brother was subsequently broadcast several times on radio and television. This experience caused him to withdraw completely from the public eye.
Phoenix once again announced his departure from the film industry in 2008 because he wanted to devote himself to music. With long hair, a beard and bizarre appearances on talk shows, he amazed audiences who didn’t really know what was going on. Joaquin Phoenix was pursuing a new career as a rapper, which obviously couldn’t really be serious. It wasn’t until 2010 that the mockumentary “I’m still here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix” provided clarity. The whole thing was a complete parody of the entertainment industry.
The Joker’s laugh
It is already clear that “Joker” will be one of the most important films of the year. The standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival is just the first sign. The first reviews were also brilliant. Many people want an Oscar for the “Joker” lead actor. It would be the second, so to speak, after Heath Ledger for the portrayal of a comic character. But like his colleague who died after filming, Joaquin Phoenix also had to suffer from the consequences of the intensive portraiture.
Speaking to journalists after the premiere in Venice, the actor commented loudly “Hollywood Reporter” how he developed his character, especially his characteristic laugh. “At some point it became clear that this was all having an impact on the psyche.”he said. “You start to go crazy.” For his Joker, Phoenix had to lose over 25 kilos in weight in order to be able to portray the clown, who was emaciated by stress and weariness of life.
Director Phillips added that there are several forms of Joker laughter “Laughter of suffering”the “Boys laugh” and that “Laughter of real joy”. Phoenix worked on the different vocalizations for months and practiced alone before showing Phillips everything. He wanted the laughter to seem “almost painful.” Philips: “I think for the Joker, it’s a part of him that just wants to show up. We all kind of have an idea of that laugh and now it feels like something completely new. (…) It was really uncomfortable to get that done. It took a long time.”
Werner Herzog saved Joaquin Phoenix
On January 26, 2006, Joaquin Phoenix was in a serious car accident. He was driving along a winding road next to a ravine in Hollywood when his car left the road and overturned. According to official information, the cause of the accident was a brake malfunction. In a state of shock, he heard a knock on the window and a voice saying: “Just relax.” Phoenix didn’t see who he was looking at and just muttered: “I’m fine. I’m relaxed.” The unknown man said: “No, you’re not.” In addition, he had to stop Joaquin Phoenix from lighting a cigarette because gasoline was flowing into the interior of the car at the same time.
Finally, Phoenix noticed the identity of his counterpart. Werner Herzog, who lived right across the street, broke the rear window of the car and helped Phoenix out of the car. Although he received great gratitude from the actor who died in the accident, Herzog downplayed his role afterwards.