He’s one of our best modern working actors. Joaquin Phoenix has proven over the years, in some of his best performances, that he’s just as convincing playing a stoner detective (Inherent Vice) or the Clown Prince of Crime (Joker) as he is playing Napoleon, as he does in his current historical epic. At the same time, Phoenix is a mercurial personality, and doesn’t necessarily love opening up about himself, his career, his process… much of anything, if we’re being honest. So any time we get to pick his brain about his acting, it’s always an honor, especially when it reveals fascinating nuggets about how he approaches roles at this stage of his career.
Joaquin Phoenix is coming off of his Best Actor-winning performance in Joker, and already pushed the envelope of what’s expected from him this year with the unusual Beau is Afraid. We already know a good amount about the highly anticipated Joker sequel, with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. But before that, Phoenix is tackling the role of Napoleon in a feature-length film that is earning divisive reactions (and doing well at the box office).
Joaquin Phoenix first appeared on CinemaBlend’s official ReelBlend podcast to talk Joker (listen to that episode here), then returned to the show to dig deep into Napoleon. When we brought up something the actor had previously said about “figuring out” how to play Napoleon, Phoenix stepped in to clarify his thoughts on that, which led to a fascinating exchange. He told us:
I don't even know what that means. It might mean that I'm just a bad actor. And I'll accept that. I feel like there are some actors that maybe do have everything figured out in advance. I think maybe it's my nature, maybe it's a product of some of the characters that I've played. I'm not really sure. And certainly as I've gotten older, I'm more comfortable with going through a process in which it reveals itself to me more, and not having to have those answers. Because I think in the past, what I found was I made decisions, and I was forceful and stuck to them in a way that I didn't think really worked for me, and for a creative process. It felt too rigid. Conversely, you can be lazy and not do the work, and find yourself in a situation where you don't have any answers. I think I like to have several possibilities of where I could go with a scene, and not really decide in advance.
Any time that Joaquin Phoenix chooses to open up about his process, you sit up and listen. He has been at this trade for his entire life, constantly evolving as a character actor in leading man parts. And his pivots in the industry are every bit as exciting as any major blockbuster decision. Phoenix usually draws headlines for the things that he doesn’t do – like taking on the role of Doctor Strange in the MCU – than for the decisions to which he does commit.
Don’t assume, however, that when Joaquin Phoenix settles on a decision that it’s automatically the right one. The veteran performer goes on to tell the ReelBlend hosts that, notoriously, his strongest instincts backfire on him. And that’s refreshing to hear. Phoenix tells us:
When I make a decision in a scene – and there are times where I've gone, ‘Oh, okay, wait a minute. I think I cracked this, I figured this out.’ And then I go, ‘That's pretty fucking good. You're pretty smart. (laughs). That's a good idea.’ And then it's always terrible. I try it, (and) try it, really without fail. And I think the only time things work for me are when it just guides me. I know that seems like not a satisfactory response, but it’s really true.
I stand by the fact that few actors are doing it at the level of Joaquin Phoenix. And that no matter what project he chooses to do in the future, I’ll be first in line to see what kind of choices he has made. Here’s our full interview with Phoenix on ReelBlend:
Use this guide to upcoming 2024 movies to see what Phoenix (and everyone else) has coming to theaters in the pending calendar year.
