This actor's road to stardom has been laced with tragedy, triumph and trepidation. Today we're discussing how Joaquin Phoenix got famous.
Phoenix is not only among the most prolific/多产的 actors in the business but also one of the most private. Although the three-time Oscar nominee is something of a closed book, his secrecy is clearly rooted in his troubled childhood.
Upon leaving an abusive cult 宗教信仰 known as the Children of God, his family changed their surname from Botton to Phoenix, signifying a fresh start for them. Joaquin also began going by Leaf at this point, which he felt fit better with the name of his four siblings.
The phoenix children put food on the table by performing music and other talent acts on the streets. In true rags to riches 白手起家 fashion, the family was discovered by agent Iris Burton, who quickly found work for the young teens. Joaquin or Leaf hit the commercial scene and made his TV debut 初次登台 alongside eldest brother River on an episode of 'Seven birds for seven brothers'. Following a couple minor roles in films like 'kids don't tell' and 'spacecamp', Phoenix landed his first starring roles as military brat Danny in 'Russkies' and Steve martin's developing nephew in 'Parenthood'. Phoenix subsequently 随后 took a sabbatical/休假 from acting for almost six years, during which time he travelled across Mexico and South America with his father. Of course, there was also a much darker factor that contributed to his lengthy hiatus/间断. Although Joaquin had a respectable career by the late 80s, River seemed like the sibling destined for superstardom. River was one of the most sought after（much in demand; generally desired） child stars of the era, appearing in films like 'Explorers' and 'Stand by Me'. As he matured to a teen idol, River received an Oscar nomination for his supporting performance in 'Running in Empty' and played a young Indiana Jones, all before turning 20. Like James Dean and Heath Ledger though, River was an actor we lost far too soon. On October 31, 1993, the 23-year-old died from combined drug intoxication of cocaine and heroin. Joaquin, we had turned 19 only 3 days earlier, called 911 as his brother overdosed, but it was too late. Soon, you couldn't turn on the news without hearing Joaquin's 911 call being replayed, which only amplified his anxiety and desire to stay out of the limelight. Phoenix turned over a new leaf in 1995, changing his name back to Joaquin and starring alongside Nicole Kidman in 'To Die For'.
He kept raising his profile with smaller films, like 'U Turn' and 'Clay Pigeons', but Joaquin was still widely viewed as River's little brother. 2000 seems to be the breakthrough year for the younger Phoenix, as he starred in 'Quills' and the Best Picture-Winning 'Gladiator'. Phoenix received his first Academy Award nomination for playing the villainous Commodus. His ascension/上升 into the mainstream continued with 'Signs', 'Brother Bear', 'The Village', and 'Ladder 49', all of which grossed over $100 million globally, His spot-on turn as Johnny Cash earned Phoenix another Oscar nomination, as well as a Golden Globe and a Grammy.
Phoenix's dedication to the role fed into his alcoholism, however, motivating him to check into rehab in 2005. At the peak of Phoenix's popularity, the actor started to go off track, both literally and figuratively. In 2006, break failure caused Phoenix to flip his car over. Disoriented after the crash, Phoenix nearly lit a cigarette as the gasoline leaked, but he was fortunately rescued by German filmmaker Werner Herzo. Two years later, Phoenix shocked audiences when he announced 'Two Lovers' would mark his retirement from acting, he only sparked more confusion with an appearance on 'David Letterman', leaving us all wondering what had happened to the man behind the beard and sunglasses. Phoenix returned to 'Letterman' in 2010 where he announced his bizarre behavior and transition into hip hop was part of the mockumentary. 'I'm still here', which was directed by future Oscar Winner Casey Affleck and co-written by both Affleck and Phoenix.
To this date, people still have different outlooks on this chapter of Phoenix's career. Was this a committed piece of performance art, an inspired practical joke, an actor spiraling out of control, or all of the above? In any case, it made Phoenix an easy target for satire. Nobody was laughing at 2005, however, after his harrowing/痛心的，悲惨的 performance in 'The Master', directed by cinematic auteur Paul Thomas Anderson. As Freddie Quell, Phoenix played a disturbed war veteran who's drawn to a cult. While many saw the film as an allegory/寓言 for Scientology/科学论派, the cult just as easily could've represented the Children of God. This made 'The Master' Phoenix's most personal project in years, resulting in his third Oscar nomination. And to think, Phoenix had dissed the Academy Awards in the midst of awards season. While Phoenix had made a major comeback, he abstained/避免，回避 from returning to the blockbusters that made him the household name. Instead, he focused on ambitious, lower budget projects like 'Her', 'Inherent Vice' and 'You were never really here'. As different as all of these roles were, they all shared a common thread. Most of the roles Phoenix took were lost souls searching for a higher purpose, be it a reason to live, a short at redemption/赎回，拯救, or somebody to love.
Speaking of which, Phoenix found love in 'Her' co-star Rooney Mara. Since they began dating in 2016, the two reunited in film such as 'Mary Magdalene' and 'Don't worry, he won't get far on foot'.
With one acclaimed performance after another, Phoenix has been compared to the like of Marlon Brando and other legendary method actors. Having gained a reputation for indie pictures/独立电影, people were taken by surprise when it was announced that Phoenix would be starring in a standalone joker movie.
Comic book movie may be everywhere nowadays, but Phoenix felt he could create something endearing 惹人喜爱的 if the film was approached as a character study with a modest budget. It would appear that's exactly what Phoenix and director Todd Philip have achieved. 'Joker' earned remarkable reviews coming out of the Venice International Film Festival where it won the coveted/梦寐以求的 Golden Lions.
Phoenix has gone through a mainstream phase and an arthouse phase, but 'Joker' may be where both intersect. Phoenix's career has had its ups and downs, which is to be expected for anyone in entertainment. Unlike most actors though, Phoenix's low points aren't necessarily due to the quality of his movies. While he's been in a couple of critical duds, few have been outright panned by critics and it's hard to unearth a bad performance in his filmography. Phoenix tends to exit the stage whenever the spotlight is shining too bright, whether it's due to a personal matter or the need to experiment.
This is an actor who appears disinterested in being famous, but his passion for performing can only keep him away from his craft for so long.
