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Starring as DC’s notorious villain in Joker: Folie à Deux opposite Lady Gaga, Joaquin Phoenix is currently in theaters. Leaving no stone unturned to transform himself into Arthur Fleck for his Joker franchise, his dedication to the role made his version come across as one of the best iterations of the character.
Beginning it all in with the 2019 Todd Phillips directorial, Joker, the flick landed and stayed for long at the top of the highest-grossing R-rated earners until 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Yet, at the moment, the sequel to his half-a-decade-old comic book movie is the talk of the town.
Reprising his role as Arthur Fleck, the plot leaves him struggling with dual identity at Arkham Asylum. However, sparks of love within and the film’s nature as a musical have brought out another side of Phoenix’s acting range. As such, fans’ desire to know more about the actor is at an all-time high.
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From early career to lifestyle choices, here are 10 facts about Joaquin Phoenix
Aside from his DC venture, Joaquin Phoenix has a lot to his merit. An acting career that began in the ‘80s, has since evolved into a diverse portfolio of roles scattered across many genres, with a whopping majority standing out as critical favorites. With such an acclaimed and versatile talent, there is no surprise that the star boasts a large fan following across the globe.
Along these lines, below are ten facts from all across the star’s life, segregated into various categories, that an avid fan of his should be aware of.
1) Birth, early life, original name and cult
Joaquin Phoenix was born on October 28, 1974, in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Arlyn Phoenix and John Lee Bottom. Originally named Joaquin Rafael Bottom, the actor adopted the Phoenix surname following the passing of his older brother, River Phoenix.
The entirety of his family were members of a religious cult named the Children of God but left once he was about three years old. However, his parents were considered archbishops in Venezuela and Trinidad and used to travel as missionaries during their time in the cult.
2) Acting debut, breakthrough, Joker, The Dark Knight, and Gladiator
Phoenix began his foray into acting as a child actor under the stage name of Leaf Phoenix. Before movies, the actor appeared in numerous ‘80s television outings such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia.
The HER actor made his first feature film debut with 1986’s SpaceCamp but 1995’s crime-comedy To Die For became his breakthrough role, where he starred alongside Nicole Kidman.
Similar to Joker, he has starred in franchise roles in 2000’s Gladiator as Commodus and as Thomas Schiff in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Furthermore, Walk the Line, The Master, and Hotel Rwanda are some of his other highly acclaimed projects.
3) Personal tragedies and their impact
As successful as he is now, Joaquin Phoenix did not have a conventional upbringing or a particularly happy flow.
In 1993, his older brother, a successful actor, faced a drug overdose at the age of 23. Despite Phoenix dialing on emergency services, the latter passed away, in an incident that happened outside one of Johnny Depp’s nightclubs.
Thereafter, in 2006, a serious car accident left him with a broken nose and a fractured arm. The resulting shocks led him to take acting more seriously and reconsider his personal choices with significant lifestyle changes.
4) Struggles with alcoholism and smoking
The actor found his brother’s tragic death difficult to cope with. In grief as well as in his early career, he struggled with alcoholism. Moreover, his 2005 role as Johnny Cash, a character dealing with addiction in Walk the Line, called on him for intense acting, leading to destructive impacts on his battle against it.
However, following the 2006 car crash, he sought professional help and checked into rehab. On another front, he has also tried hypnosis to help him quit smoking but has also admitted to relapsing.
Stressful times such as flights get him hooked on smoking again, although he is committed to quitting the habit.
5) Mental health and nervousness while filming
Joaquin Phoenix is one of the few Hollywood actors who remain vocally active about their mental health struggles. In many film interviews, he has highlighted feeling nervous before taking a role and while enacting it, including Joker.
The star had an intense physical and emotional transformation to play the iconic villain. For this, he had to shed 52 pounds and get into the Joker’s mindset.
However, he often took to obsessive behaviors to achieve the same, leaving him with long-lasting effects after filming and challenges towards recovery.
6) Obsession with method acting
From intense fitness routines for Joker to 2017’s You Were Never Really Here, his approach to acting differs from conventional practices as he prefers to stay in character even when the cameras are not rolling.
In 2023, he played the lead in the horror and psychological comedy Beau is Afraid. Thus, to get into the role, Phoenix used self-humiliating method acting tactics, such as screaming at himself, a prime example of his method acting.
7) Lifestyle, veganism, and philanthropy
Joaquin Phoenix leads a health-conscious lifestyle. To cope with his mental health issues, he often takes to yoga and meditation for proper stress management.
Influenced by his parents’ beliefs as well as his own observations, the acclaimed actor has remained a vegan since the age of three. Going with a plant-based diet, he has regularly stood up for animal rights and advocated for the same in documentaries like Earthlings and Dominion.
Accordingly, he also vouches for human rights with his support to The Art of Elysium, the Red Cross, and The Lunchbox Fund.
8) Joaquin Phoenix’s love life
In a recent podcast, Joaquin Phoenix referred to Rooney Mara as his “wife”, sparking marriage rumors. While no official statement has come forward, the duo remain long-time partners with their relationship history going back to their first meeting on the sets of 2018’s Mary Magdalene.
Staying low on public radars, they engaged in a private ceremony in 2019 and welcomed their first child a year later, whom they named River, after the actor’s late brother, and are currently expecting another.
In the distant past, Phoenix has also dated actress Liv Tyler along with having a long-term relationship with his The Buffalo Soldiers co-star, Anna Paquin.
9) Oscars, awards, and other honors
Joaquin Phoenix won the Best Actor Oscar in 2020 for his stint in 2019’s Joker. The win came after three previous Academy Awards nominations - two for Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Master and Walk the Line and one for Best Supporting Actor in Gladiator.
The 2019 DC film also won him the Best Actor BAFTA and Golden Globe, while already having won the latter once before for his role as Johnny Cash in 2006.
Additionally, his singing credits on Walk the Line also landed him a Grammy while in 2020, the New York Times named him one of the 21st century’s greatest actors, adding another feather to his cap.
10) A birthmark, nearly dying, and strange habits
Joaquin Phoenix has a distinctive scar on his upper lip, believed to be a very mild form of a cleft lip, a condition he has acknowledged as a birthmark.
Then, the 2006 car accident of his had left him in an overturned car with gasoline everywhere. Horrifyingly, in distress and disoriented he was about to light a cigarette when filmmaker Werner Herzog swooped in at just the right moment and averted a catastrophe.
Finally, Phoenix does not prefer to watch his own movies nor does he have any social media accounts.
As Joker: Folie à Deux airs in cinemas and Phoenix revels in the spotlight, this list of all-encompassing facts and trivia about the famed star should keep his fans fulfilled until more news of him and his movies arrive.
