Joaquin Phoenix plays the Clown Prince of Crime in the upcoming Joker film, as he takes
on the role of the iconic Batman villain. However, in this video we look at the man
behind the makeup and understand how his life story could have lead him down a path of destruction,
madness and crime, but instead his strength of character helped him become one of Hollywood's
most decorated stars.
For around three decades now Joaquin Phoenix has played a huge variety of roles on the
big screen, whether it be his debut in SpaceCamp, or hits such as Gladiator, Hotel Rwanda, The
Village or Walk the Line, each time leaving the audience in awe of his ability and range
in acting. Now he's about to star as the most iconic comic book villain of all time, the
Joker, previously played by stars such as Jack Nicholson in Batman and Heath Ledger,
in his incredible performance in the Dark Knight.
However, just as he's found immense success, Joaquin Phoenix's life could have been very
different, as he came from a difficult upbringing to facing numerous challenges in life, both
personal and professional, with the two intertwining with frequency.
It's here we can actually draw parallels to Arthur Fleck, the version of the Joker that
Phoenix will portray in the upcoming film, who goes from being a failed stand up comic
that faces a number of personal issues in his life, to turning to a life of crime and
becoming Batman's most threatening and deadly foe.
Joaquin Phoenix, along with his siblings Summer, Liberty and late brother River, spent early
life in their childhood in a cult called the Children of God, after their parents had joined
back in the 1970s. The cult was highly controversial and the family spent most of their time travelling
with them through Central and Southern America. It was only after discovering the truth about
the cult, which encouraged children as young as 3 to explore their sexuality, that the
Phoenix family, at that time known as the Bottom family, left to resume their lives
away from it.
Joaquin himself hasn't spoken about that period of his life and whether he was subject to
any kind of abuse, but his older brother River, has said in the past that he was first subjected
to sexual abuse at the age of 4 when they were still part of the cult.
While it's positive the family escaped from the cult, their circumstances weren't simple
as they moved to Los Angeles and struggled to make ends meet to put food on the table.
Eventually, it lead to a great deal of hardships, notably with the whole family becoming homeless
and sleeping in a car.
Amazingly, Phoenix himself manages to see the positive of the circumstance, as he has
previously said
"Even when we had no money, we still had a car to sleep in and a friend's driveway we
could park in and a dad who said, 'I'm going to take care of you"
and it's this objective and positive view that has shaped the success that Phoenix has
gone onto see, showing mental strength and perspective that helps to focus on what to
be grateful for, despite whatever circumstance you're in. It can help avoid a downward spiral
of negativity which we will see Arthur Fleck succumb to as he becomes the Joker.
Eventually the Phoenix family did find a place to live, but even then they weren't without
their problems. They lived in a one bedroom apartment and were told no kids were allowed.
As they were breaking the rules, the Phoenix kids would have to hide behind a laundry machine
everytime the owner came round, sometimes hours on end, hoping that they wouldn't be
found during the whole time, fearing the possibility of becoming homeless once again.
It was a difficult life, and one which took it's toll on the family. This was none more
evident than the tragic story of River, who was an aspiring actor well on his way to becoming
a star in the film industry. Unfortunately, one night in 1993 River died of a drug overdose
after consuming a "speedball", a mixture of heroin and cocaine dissolved into a drink,
followed by a Valium.
He was just 23 years old, and it was reported that it was Joaquin who had to make the 911
call to plead for emergency help on that fateful night, as their sister, Rain, attempted
to revive River by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The event was to have a major impact on Joaquin's life, as he took a two year hiatus from acting
after that night.
When Phoenix did return to acting, he was cast for the lead role in what would become
his most successful role in the film Walk the Line, where he played Johnny Cash, the
legendary musician who had battled issues with drug and alcohol abuse.
At the time there were rumours that there were signs of Phoenix struggling when recording,
notably during a scene which depicts the death of Cash's brother, and another where he repeatedly
hit his head on a bedpost when his character was in struggling emotionally.
Joaquin himself has argued this wasn't the case and he was working on his performance
but it's believed there may have been some truth to the rumours, as after filming wrapped
up Phoenix had to go to rehab for drinking issues.
Phoenix himself should be commended on his honesty and strength of character here. He's
a method actor and so as a result embodies the characters that he plays. In this respect,
when he portrayed Cash, he found he started developing a potential drinking issue, stating
"It was then that I became aware of my drinking. I wasn't an everyday drinker but didn't have
anything else to do, anything to hold me down. I was leaning on alcohol to make me feel OK.
That's what it really was."
It was from here that Phoenix himself took action, checking himself into a rehab facility
and dealing with his issue. His recognition and self awareness of his issues is in stark
contrast to the Joker, a character who often acknowledges his issues, but lacks empathy
in the destructive effects his actions can cause.
Following on from the success of Walk the Line, Phoenix has gone on to continue performing
in a variety of roles until today. However, he's constantly challenged in his position
even now.
He's admitted to struggling with anxiety when in front of the camera, stating that he needs
to have pads for his armpits due to sweating from anxiety. However, as he's shown time
and again, his ability to perceive situations is a great strength of his character. He embraces
the anxiety he feels and talks about how he loves it.
The truth is we've said on numerous occasions on the channel that fear and anxiety can be
a matter perspective. Our physical reaction to fear and excitement are the same, we feel
warm and start sweating, but in the case of Phoenix, he uses those feelings as a sense
of excitement, pushing him on to perform regardless.
However, despite his positive outlook when working, it's rarely plain sailing as the
actor has said that despite all of his performances gaining widespread recognition, he himself
is highly critical and questioning of his work, having doubts in the very few instances
when he watches himself performing. If he allows this to happen, it can be mentally
and emotionally exhausting.
The truth is that for all of his success and fame, Phoenix does acknowledge the difficulties
of his life, the challenges he faces such as his anxiety and the fact that his approach
to go all in when taking on a new role can lead to sense of loneliness.
The fact is by taking on the role of the iconic Joker, and specifically the character of the
upcoming movie, Arthur Fleck, it's easy to draw parallels between Phoenix and the man
he'll play on screen. In both cases, they come from difficult upbringings and have had
to face issues in their lives that could be the catalyst of destructive behaviour, whether
it be on course for the downfall of themselves, or causing damage to others around them.
However, despite similarities both might face in their circumstances, their character couldn't
be more different. Whereas Arthur Fleck will inevitably fall to become the Joker in the
movie, Joaquin Phoenix has shown incredible strength of character to overcome the ordeals
he's had to face in his life to become the incredibly successful and respected actor
he is today.
Are you looking forward to the upcoming Joker movie? Let me know in the comments section
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