Joaquin Phoenix is poised to be the next in a long line of actors who've become the Clown
Prince of Crime.
And whether he knows it or not, the Oscar-nominated actor has been preparing for this part for
almost his entire career.
Phoenix is well aware that all eyes will be on him as he tackles the iconic Batman villain.
Speaking to Collider, he explained that director Todd Phillips' vision for Joker is something
he's afraid of ruining.
Phoenix explained,
"It feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe, mostly, it scares the f---ing
s--- out of me or something."
"I asked Todd to come over to audition my laugh."
However, not wanting to betray Phillips' vision and not wanting to betray Joker fans are two
different things.
When asked directly about any anxieties of letting people down, the actor told indieWire,
"I could [not] care less.
I don't really think that much about what people think.
[...] Who cares?
My approach to every movie is the same.
What I'm interested in is the filmmaker and the idea of the character."
When it comes to losing weight, some actors take it way too far, like Christian Bale for
The Machinist and Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club.
Now, it looks like Phoenix is joining the A-list weight loss club.
"As it turns out, that then affects your psychology um so..."
Fans were stunned in August 2018 when Just Jared posted what appear to be paparazzi photos
of Phoenix looking noticeably slimmer.
Many assumed the actor had begun the process of looking thin in order to properly capture
the typical body type of a certain always-smiling villain.
The Joker is typically skinny with long limbs, and when the first trailer for the film dropped
in April 2019, Phoenix looked absolutely emaciated.
He's never been afraid to go the extra mile in his movies, but now it seems there's definitely
some madness to his method acting.
Phoenix demonstrated he's the perfect choice for an experimental leading man when he tanked
his own career for roughly two years just to achieve a viral stunt.
In 2010, Phoenix played himself in I'm Still Here, a mockumentary about Phoenix's year-long
supposed retirement and his new hip-hop career.
For a while, everyone thought Phoenix really had quit acting, but the star later admitted
it was all a stunt for the film that chronicled his desperation to get his celebrity back.
While he committed to the stunt even going viral for a bonkers appearance on the Late
Show with David Letterman the film was critically panned.
Phoenix didn't act again for two years after I'm Still Here bombed.
Despite the negative attention, he told T: The New York Times Style Magazine that the
process was good for him as an actor, adding,
"It allowed me to be bold in my decisions instead of being safe."
Diving into I'm Still Here was chaotic, scary, and pure anarchy and sounds just like something
the Joker would do.
If you consider every movie that Phoenix has made as preparation for Joker, then the man
has quite a bit of experience under his belt.
He's a three-time Oscar nominee, and in all three cases, he was playing violent, angry
men.
There was the psychotic emperor in Gladiator, a drug-using Johnny Cash in Walk the Line,
and a volatile cult member in The Master.
Phoenix chooses roles that fulfill him artistically instead of financially, and the Joker is a
character with just as much depth as evil.
He's been playing dangerous men on the edge of sanity for quite some time.
Fortunately, almost all of his performances have been building up to this moment.
Joker is somewhat reshaping the mold when it comes to how superhero movies are typically
made.
DC has thrown a lot of money at projects like Aquaman, Justice League, and Wonder Woman,
to varying levels of success.
However, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Joker only has a budget of about $55 million.
That likely means there will be fewer buildings blowing up, but that shouldn't surprise anyone,
considering both Phoenix and Todd Phillips have teased a gritty character study and not
a rooftop-brawling hero romp.
Phoenix previously told Collider that it doesn't really matter about the size of the movie.
What's more important?
According to him ,
"There are these incredible characters that are dealing with real life struggles.
[...] There were characters in comics that were really interesting and deserve the opportunity
to be kind of studied."
Clearly, the budget isn't worrying Phoenix.
It might not have major money behind it, but the actor is far more concerned about story
and when it comes to quality, that's a promising sign.
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