16 Facts You Didn't Know About Joaquin Phoenix, Hollywood's Reclusive Genius
Vote for the most surprising things you didn't know about Joaquin Phoenix.
There are certainly plenty of eccentric actors in Hollywood. But few match the sheer wackiness of Joaquin Phoenix.
In reality, there are a plethora of wild Joaquin Phoenix stories. Perhaps none of which are more bizarre than the time he gave up several years of his acting career to make a “documentary” that featured his dramatic turn from Academy Award-nominated actor to wannabe rapper. During the span of the doc’s two years of filming, Phoenix had to publicly stay in character and could not even tell his friends that his performance was just a ruse.
Despite all the wild Joaquin Phoenix exploits, there’s no denying the actor’s incredible talent. In fact, the Joker actor's talent may be why he can be among the highest-ranking of all Hollywood weirdos and still get cast by the industry’s top directors. Read all about the childhood prodigy turned A-list actor in the list below, then check out our Joaquin Phoenix movies list.
- 1
His Last Name Is Symbolic
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After Joaquin's parents, Arlyn and John Bottom, left the Children of God, they fled to Los Angeles. They wanted to celebrate leaving the Christian sect and thought that their escape was like rising from the ashes. In order to symbolize how they felt, they changed their last name and their children's last name from Bottom to Phoenix.
The mythical bird is the symbol for resurrection from the ashes, and it serves as a symbol of the Bottom-Phoenix's new life outside the Children of God.
Interesting fact? - 2
Phoenix Never Sang Before He Starred In Walk The Line
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If you close your eyes and listen to the soundtrack for the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, you may think that it's actually Cash himself singing the songs. However, Joaquin Phoenix sang every single note in the movie despite never having sung at all. The actor also did his own guitar playing.
When asked if he was surprised that he could mimic Cash's famous baritone voice, Phoenix replied, "I was surprised just to get through a song! I never sang before, but if I had tried to sing along to something it was to John Lennon and David Bowie, who both sing quite high." He continued, "So to suddenly go to John was so odd to me. It was very strange to have to use a part of my voice that I didn't know existed."
Famed film critic Roger Ebert wrote of Phoenix's performance: "Knowing Johnny Cash's albums more or less by heart, I closed my eyes to focus on the soundtrack and decided that, yes, that was the voice of Johnny Cash I was listening to. The closing credits make it clear it's Joaquin Phoenix doing the singing, and I was gob-smacked."
Interesting fact? - 3
He Went By The Name Leaf For Over A Decade
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In 1978, Joaquin changed his name to Leaf because he was irritated that people could not properly pronounce his name and because his four siblings had nature related names. "I changed my name because no one in the States could pronounce 'Joaquin' and I used to get really embarrassed about it as a kid. All kids in my family had gorgeous names and I got 'Joaquin'. I said 'This is not good.' Even I can't say it."
He kept the name Leaf until 1991 when, after filming Walking the Dog, he changed his name back to Joaquin. It was also during that same time that he took a break from acting. While still known as “Leaf,” he played a big role in an episode of Murder, She Wrote, was one of the elads in Space Camp, and even explored adolescent angst in Parenthood, in which his character finds some solace in fuzzy philosophy from a young Keanu Reeves.
Interesting fact? - 4
Werner Herzog May Have Saved His Life
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- Nicogenin
- Wikimedia Commons
- CC BY-SA 2.0
In 2006, the Gladiator actor overturned his car while driving on a windy road in Hollywood. Then, just like out of some kind of movie, legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, who has a home in the area, happened to be driving by and rescued Joaquin from the wreckage. Phoenix lay disoriented inside the flipped vehicle when he heard a tap on the window.
"There was this German voice saying 'Just relax'," recalled Phoenix. Herzog then helped Phoenix out of the car. "There's something so calming and beautiful about Werner Herzog's voice," Phoenix said. "I felt completely fine and safe."
Of course, Herzog is a bit of an eccentric himself. He took off the second he realized that Joaquin was okay. "I got out of the car and I said thank you," Phoenix said. "And he was gone."
Interesting fact? - Photo:
- 5
He Placed The 911 Call When His Brother River Suffered A Lethal Overdose
Both Joaquin and his sister Rain were present at Johnny Depp's Los Angeles nightclub, The Viper Room, on the evening that their brother River died from an overdose in 1993. The talented 23-year-old actor had apparently fallen into a dangerous substance use routine.
On that fateful night, it would be Joaquin who placed the chilling 911 call.
Interesting fact? - 6
He Thinks Acting Awards Are Total Bullsh*t
- Photo:
- Tony Shek
- Wikimedia Commons
- CC BY 2.0
The Signs actor had been nominated for multiple Academy Awards before taking home the hardware for his Joker performance.
But acting awards are not very important to Phoenix, who compares them to a terrible tasting carrot:
I think it's total, utter bullshit, and I don't want to be a part of it. I don't believe in it. It's a carrot, but it's the worst-tasting carrot I've ever tasted in my whole life. I don't want this carrot. It's totally subjective. Pitting people against each other... It's the stupidest thing in the whole world. It was one of the most uncomfortable periods of my life when Walk the Line was going through all the awards stuff and all that. I never want to have that experience again. I don't know how to explain it - and it's not like I'm in this place where I think I'm just above it - but I just don't ever want to get comfortable with that part of things.
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- 7
His Parents Were Missionaries For A Cult
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In the 1970s, Phoenix's parents joined the extremely controversial Christian group the Children of God. After joining, they brought all five of their children (Joaquin, River, Rain, Liberty, and Summer) into what is commonly referred to as a cult. The family spent years traveling across Central and South America.
"My parents had a religious experience and felt strongly about it," Phoenix said during a 2014 interview with Playboy. "They wanted to share that with other people who wanted to talk about their experience with religion. These friends were like, 'Oh, we believe in Jesus as well.' I think my parents thought they’d found a community that shared their ideals. Cults rarely advertise themselves as such. It’s usually someone saying, 'We’re like-minded people. This is a community,' but I think the moment my parents realized there was something more to it, they got out."
Interesting fact? - 8
He Went Totally Method For 'Walk The Line'
In order to take on the hard-drinking life of musician Johnny Cash, Phoenix opted to go method, insisting on staying in character all the time. He even asked everyone on set to call him, "J.R." Cash's real name was John R. Cash. "I’m embarrassed about it now,” he later admitted. "But when I heard ‘Joaquin,’ it just didn’t feel right. It’s not a brilliant method. It’s simply that I don’t know what I’m doing, and I use all the help I can get. It’s an act of desperation.”
The actor even said that he later felt like a "f*cking idiot" for going method. However, the proof is in the pudding. Phoenix won a Golden Globe for his performance as Johnny Cash and was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards in 2006.
Interesting fact? - 9
He Still Experiences Incredible Anxiety While Acting
Despite being an accomplished actor with over three decades of experience, Phoenix still gets incredibly anxious on a movie set.
"I still get nauseous the day before and have weeks of incredible anxiety," he said during a 2012 interview with Interview magazine. "They have to put f*cking pads in my armpits because I sweat so much that it just drips down my wardrobe. For the first three weeks of shooting, I'm just sweating. It's pure anxiety, and I love it."
Interesting fact? - 10
He's Been A Vegan Since The Age Of 3
A lot of publications claim that Phoenix will not wear any leather for his movie costumes, which is not true. The actor has been a vegan since early childhood after he witnessed a fisherman brutally killing his catch.
However, he admits that in Walk the Line, he wore leather vintage boots. "I don’t wear leather in my life, but with movies, there are some things I struggle with, like if there are budget constraints or a particular vintage thing they need," he explained.
Interesting fact? - 11
He Prays To Keep His Ego At Bay
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During an interview with The New York Times in 2005, Phoenix explained that the numbers 3812, which were written on his hand in blue ink, were an address. However, the Her actor would not elaborate on the numbers any further. The article's author, Lynn Hirschberg, speculated that they were probably the address for an AA meeting. Phoenix had entered rehabilitation for alcohol abuse about five months before the interview.
Before the interview ended, Phoenix pontificated about his need for self-improvement. "I believe there's always room for improvement. When I pray, which I've been doing a lot lately, it's to keep myself from being driven by my ego, to try and listen to what's in my heart. I'm not a murderer. I don't randomly beat people up. But I like the idea of being aware of how you interact with the world. There is no finish line with this. I don't think I'll ever know if I succeed. But that's OK - it makes you work harder."
Interesting fact? - 12
He Doesn't Take Pictures With Fans
Phoenix doesn't refuse to take pictures with fans to be a jerk or some unapproachable celebrity. In fact, he doesn't mind having a conversation with people who approach him. He'd rather just have a genuine moment chatting with another person than be constantly surrounded by the "sycophantic energy" that can come with the territory of being a famous actor. He described an experience he had with a woman at a department store during an interview with Playboy:
"A woman came up the other day in a store and said, 'I’m really sorry, but can we take a picture?' I said, 'You know what? I don’t do that, but thanks so much for coming up. I mean, I’m here with two of my friends and you’re alone and came up and said hi. That was really brave of you.' Whatever energy she had was gone instantly. We chatted a bit. It was fun. Then she went and bought her f*cking tube socks and I bought my stupid little sweatpants, and that was it."
Interesting fact? - 13
He Gave Up Several Years Of His Acting Career For I'm Still Here
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In 2008, Joaquin Phoenix announced his official retirement from acting in order to pursue a career in hip hop. One of his first outrageous public appearances in pursuit of this purported ambition featured Phoenix rapping, very poorly, at a Miami nightclub, where he ultimately fell off the stage. You may also remember an extremely uncomfortable but rather hilarious interview on the Late Show with David Letterman. During the interview, Joaquin seemed totally out of it. His face was covered by a straggly beard, his hair was dreadlocked, and he could not coherently answer any of Letterman's questions.
Casey Affleck (Joaquin's brother-in-law) directed a documentary called I'm Still Here charting Phoenix's transition from Academy Award-nominated actor to wannabe rapper. In the doc, we see Phoenix's attempt to get P. Diddy to produce his music; we watch the actor snort coke, chain smoke, have delusions, engage in sexual assault, and party with sex workers.
It was revealed just weeks after I'm Still Here's 2010 premiere that the documentary was actually a mockumentary. Phoenix's shenanigans and his appearances in character in public for two years were all an elaborate hoax in an attempt to criticize the media's desire to cover celebrity breakdowns and scandals. Additionally, after his performance in the indie Two Lovers that hit theaters in 2008, Phoenix would not appear on the big screen in a feature film until 2012's The Master.
The mockumentary wound up grossing only about $400,000 domestic. Critics also generally dismissed the project. Even though Phoenix lost almost four years of his career to the elaborate ruse that was I'm Still Here, he was thankfully able to rebound due to his immense talent as an actor.
Interesting fact? - 14
Phoenix Continued to Publicly Embarass Himself For I'm Still Here Even When He Wanted to Stop
Phoenix admitted that there were several times when he wanted to come clean and admit to his friends that I'm Still Here was just a hoax. However, his brother-in-law, Casey Affleck, who directed the documentary, did not want to break down the fourth wall. "It was very difficult because Casey was really intent on keeping it secret and I, of course, was a bit of a p*ssy at times, where I was like, well, I would like to tell my friend who has been calling me for a f*cking month, 'Don't worry. Everything is cool,'" Phoenix explained.
"Initially, it was just basically supposed to be a bad, glorified Saturday Night Live skit. But Casey was really intent on me getting out there publicly and humiliating myself as much as possible," Phoenix continued. "We wanted to capture that random moment of like, 'Oh, god. Please. I'm not watching this.' So he was really pushing. There were a couple things where I was like, nope, I'm not going to Vegas and getting on a stage. I'm not f*cking doing it. And, you know, we did it and I was like, dude, I have to do these interviews and I'm keeping this sh*t going."
Interesting fact? - 15
He Was Homeschooled
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Joaquin started acting regularly at the age of 6, once his parents moved to Southern California. He was homeschooled, and when he was onset working in a movie or television program, he was required by the state to see a tutor.
The actor, however, regrets not putting in any effort when it came to his education: "I regret not giving it my all. I always had the feeling I can’t be stuck here doing this; I have other things to do. You get old enough and realize there was plenty of time to invest yourself in several things."
Interesting fact? - 16
He Got (Fake) Pooped On In 'I'm Still Here'
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Of all the jaw-dropping things that happen in I'm Still Here, the scene where Phoenix's assistant and former bandmate Anthony Langdon gets his revenge may be the grossest of them all. Langdon, a former rhythm guitarist for the band Spacehog, suffers an intense amount of verbal abuse from Phoenix throughout the documentary. In one scene, Phoenix even tells him that he is going to poop on his face.
But Langdon beats him to the punch. In an act of revenge, Langdon enters Phoenix's bedroom one evening while the actor-turned-rapper is sleeping. He then proceeds to defecate on him, all while Affleck and crew record the event. Of course, we later find out that the whole movie was just a hoax, making Langdon's poop not actual feces. But still, Phoenix and company wanted people to believe that Langdon was so upset with Phoenix that he resorted to defecating on him.
Interesting fact?
