February 2009. Legendary late-night talk show host David Letterman introduces his next guest: Oscar-nominated actor Joaquin Phoenix. He’s sporting an unkempt beard, dark sunglasses indoors, and behaving like it was his first talk show appearance rather than his hundredth. Even Letterman, who could improv with the best of them, struggles to keep up with Phoenix’s short answers, insisting that he was done with acting so he could focus on becoming a rapper. Turns out, it was an attempt at viral marketing for the upcoming mockumentary, I’m Still Here. Okay, so maybe the interview didn’t tell us much about the movie or drive anyone t to see it, but it did tell us a lot about Joaquin Phoenix, the person and the performer, his deep commitment to his art form, and his obsession with authenticity that brought him through a difficult upbringing and into a wildly successful acting career.

Joaquin Phoenix was born on October 28, 1974, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. But before young Joaquin set foot on a Hollywood set, the Phoenix family’s story took a detour through a controversial chapter. In the early 1970s, John and Arlyn Bottom joined the Children of God, a religious cult founded by David Berg. The family, including Joaquin and his siblings River, Rain, Liberty, and Summer, spent years as nomadic missionaries in South America. During this time, Joaquin and River first dipped their toes into performance, busking on the streets to support their family. 

Leaf Phoenix and childhood roles

By 1978, disillusioned with the cult’s practices (particularly the controversial “Flirty Fishing” method of evangelism that used sex as a means of recruitment), the parents left the cult and booked it to the United States. They changed their surname to Phoenix, symbolizing a rebirth from the ashes of their past. This early exposure to an unconventional and often troubling environment would later fuel Joaquin’s gravitation toward complex, morally ambiguous characters.

The Phoenix family tree took root in the entertainment industry early on. Little Joaquin, or Leaf as he was known then, started his journey as a child actor on television in the early 80s. In 1986, Leaf/Joaquin blasted off in SpaceCamp, a movie that made every kid dream of accidentally being launched into space. 1989 saw him in Parenthood, a film that likely gave him plenty of material for future therapy sessions.

Breakout movies

Fast forward to 1995, and we find a now-adult Joaquin in To Die For, a dark comedy that proved he could hold his own against Nicole Kidman’s killer ambition (literally). Around this time, Leaf decided to (ahem) turn a new leaf, shed his herbaceous moniker, and embrace his birth name. In 1997, Phoenix took a U-Turn into one of Oliver Stone’s lesser-known works. This film is notable for being one of Jennifer Lopez’s best performances and, simultaneously, one of Sean Penn’s worst.

1999 brought us 8MM, a film that made everyone think twice about their VHS collections. Phoenix played a porn shop employee, proving that no role was too gritty or uncomfortable for him to tackle. Joaquin’s new millennium started with Quills, where he played a priest opposite Geoffrey Rush’s Marquis de Sade. This is your jam if you ever wanted to see Joaquin Phoenix struggle with carnal desires while wearing a cassock.

Of course, 2000 also gave us Gladiator, in which Phoenix’s Commodus took a petulant man-child to Oscar-worthy heights. His performance as the jealous, sister-obsessed emperor earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He didn’t win, but he did cement his status as Hollywood’s go-to guy for nuanced, troubled characters.

In 2001, Phoenix donned fatigues for Buffalo Soldiers, a black comedy set in 1989 West Germany. Picture “Catch-22,” but with more heroin and less World War II. The film’s release was delayed due to the 9/11 attacks, but Joaquin’s performance made it worth the wait. 

2002 saw Phoenix in M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, where he played Mel Gibson’s younger brother, a former minor league baseball player. The film is remembered for its invasion plot and especially that amazing alien reveal, but let’s be honest – the real tension was wondering if Phoenix’s character would ever hit that home run. Spoiler alert: he does, and it’s glorious.

2003 had Phoenix lending his voice to Brother Bear, a Disney animated feature. There had to have been SO much cognitive dissonance in the recording booth: “So, wait, I’m a human turned into a bear? Okay…Wait, I have to sing? Can we at least record it in a forest?”

2004 was a busy year for our intrepid actor. He reunited with Shyamalan for The Village, a film that asked the important question: “What if we lived like it’s the 1800s, but plot twist – it’s actually modern day.”  It’s like The Truman Show, but with more red cloaks and less Jim Carrey, for better or mostly worse.

The same year, Phoenix played a firefighter in Ladder 49, proving he could rock a helmet and suspenders with the best of them. It’s one of those films that makes you appreciate firefighters and wonder why Phoenix hasn’t done more action movies. Maybe he’s a little old now, but I want to see him as the next James Bond. instead of suave one-liners, he stares intensely at the villains until they surrender. Hey, it could work!

Rounding out his 2004 hat-trick was Hotel Rwanda, where Phoenix played a journalist covering the Rwandan genocide. It’s a powerful, harrowing film that showcases Phoenix’s ability to bring depth and humanity to even the smallest roles.

Walk the Line and stardom

2005 brought us Walk the Line, where Phoenix donned the black garb of Johnny Cash and showed he could sing as well as act. His portrayal of the Man in Black earned him his second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actor. He didn’t win, but he did get to perform “Ring of Fire” live at the Academy Awards, which is arguably a better prize. In 2007, Phoenix teamed up with Mark Wahlberg for We Own the Night, a crime drama that taught us once and for all that the Phoenix-Wahlberg duo is the bromance we didn’t know we needed. Maybe Wahlberg wanted his own Good Will Hunting, but with more Russian mobsters and less math.

2008’s Two Lovers saw Phoenix playing a man torn between two women, which is basically a metaphor for his entire career – torn between commercial success and artistic integrity. It’s a beautiful, melancholy film (from frequent Phoenix collaborator James Gray) that makes you wonder if Phoenix has ever been truly happy in his life, or if he’s just really good at looking perpetually troubled.

A rap career?

Then came 2010 and the infamous I’m Still Here, a mockumentary that had everyone questioning Phoenix’s sanity and career choices, especially with the benefit of hindsight that paints a picture of an unprofessional set helmed by a pre-repentant Casey Affleck. Remember that bizarre Letterman appearance? Yeah, that was for this. The film bombed, but it did give us the gift of a fully committed Phoenix, willing to sacrifice his public image for his art. He became someone else entirely in a way only he could.

Comeback roles

2012 brought The Master, where Phoenix played a troubled World War II veteran who falls in with a charismatic cult leader, something he may have been all too familiar with. It earned him his third Oscar nomination and cemented his status as the go-to actor for roles that require deep stares and barely suppressed rage.

In 2013, Phoenix starred in The Immigrant (once again with James Gray), a period drama that allowed him to showcase his ability to rock a 1920s mustache. It’s a beautifully shot film that reinforced that Phoenix can do “morally ambiguous” like no one else. The same year gave us Her, Spike Jonze’s meditation on love in the digital age. Phoenix played a man who falls in love with his AI operating system, which felt like science fiction in 2013 and uncomfortably close to reality in 2024. He probably prepped for the role by having deep, existential conversations with Siri. It would probably be way easier with ChatGPT today. They even stole ScarJo’s voice for it!

2014’s Inherent Vice saw Phoenix team up with Paul Thomas Anderson for the second time following their acclaimed collaboration on The Master. In this outing, Phoenix plays a perpetually stoned private investigator in 1970s Los Angeles. Think The Big Lebowski, but with more plot twists and less bowling. The film is a trippy, paranoid journey that perfectly showcases Phoenix’s ability to seem constantly confused yet oddly competent.

In 2017, Phoenix starred in You Were Never Really Here, a brutal, poetic thriller that is somehow not a sequel to I’m Still Here. Phoenix plays a traumatized hitman who rescues trafficked girls, proving once again that he’s at his best when playing characters who are one bad day away from a complete breakdown.

2018 saw Phoenix in a whirlwind of diverse roles. He kicked it off with The Sisters Brothers, which I think is “an underrated gem.” It’s a Western that has Phoenix bouncing between comedy and drama and looking good in a cowboy hat simultaneously. The same year, Phoenix took on the role of Jesus in Mary Magdalene. Maybe the film didn’t exactly set the box office on fire, but you don’t pass up the opportunity to play the Son of God, even if it means growing out your hair and beard to biblical proportions. Rounding out his 2018 trifecta was Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, a biopic about quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan. Impressive range, to go from playing Jesus to a quadriplegic alcoholic cartoonist in the same year.

Joker and an Oscar

Then came 2019 and Joker, the role that finally freed Phoenix from his Oscar curse. After three nominations, he took home the gold for his masterful portrayal of Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian who descends into madness and becomes Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime. As the camera rolled, Phoenix disappeared into the character, delivering a captivating and unsettling performance. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion if the car was wearing clown makeup and you couldn’t look away. Every laugh, every tear, every violent outburst is a testament to Phoenix’s dedication to the role.

Joker was more than just a film – it was a cultural phenomenon, a thought-provoking commentary on society’s failures and the consequences of neglect. And until Deadpool and Wolverine passed it in 2024, the highest-grossing R-Rated film of all time (worldwide). Phoenix’s Oscar win was not just a recognition of his craft but also a nod to the film’s impact on the world. But I still think Taxi Driver did it better.

2021 brought us C’mon C’mon, a tender black-and-white drama where Phoenix plays an uncle bonding with his young nephew. It’s a beautiful, introspective film that taught audiences that Phoenix can do “gentle and nurturing” just as well as “vigorous and slightly unhinged.”

In 2023, Phoenix starred in Beau Is Afraid, a surreal psychological horror-comedy that can best be described as… well, indescribable. Imagine if Freud, Kafka, and Wes Anderson collaborated on a fever dream. Phoenix plays a man on an odyssey to reach his mother’s house, facing bizarre obstacles along the way. The same year, Phoenix took on the role of Napoleon Bonaparte in Ridley Scott’s epic Napoleon. It’s a testament to Phoenix’s versatility that he can go from playing a neurotic Jewish man in modern-day New York to a 19th-century French emperor in the span of a few months.

Why did Phoenix quit his last movie?

In another surprising turn of events, Phoenix recently exited Todd Haynes’ gay romance drama just five days before production was set to begin. It sucks for the crew members who aren’t rich actors and live gig-to-gig. However, everyone, even rich actors, should still have the right to choose the work they do, especially when companies, including big movie studios, can drop actors all the time without facing the criticism Joaquin did. The reasons for his departure remain unclear, and the turn of events has raised more questions than answers. Maybe the optics aren’t great due to the nature of the role. Hopefully, he’ll find the answers to these questions in time for his next project. Speaking of next projects, this week sees Phoenix reprising his role as Arthur Fleck in Joker: Folie à Deux. The musical sequel, because apparently, what the gritty, realistic Joker origin story needed was song and dance numbers, although sadly the reviews have been quite mixed so far.

As we look back on Joaquin Phoenix’s career, spanning over 40 years and showing no signs of slowing down, one thing becomes clear: he is an actor who defies categorization. From child star to Oscar winner, from Leaf to Joaquin, from Bottom to the top, Phoenix has consistently pushed the boundaries of what it means to be an actor. He approaches each role with a level of commitment and passion that borders on obsession, diving deep into the psyche of his characters and emerging with performances that are as unsettling as they are captivating.

Phoenix stands out as a beacon of authenticity in an industry often criticized for its superficiality. He’s not afraid to take risks, of which there were plenty, to look foolish, which he did plenty, or to completely immerse himself in a role, no matter how bizarre or challenging, or even…well…bad. This unwavering commitment to his craft has earned him the respect of his peers and the admiration of audiences worldwide. As we eagerly await his future projects, one thing is certain: whatever Joaquin Phoenix does next, it will be potent, it will be unexpected, and it will be unmistakably Joaquin.

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