Biography of Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin 5 years ago (2004)

There is a marked transformation in JP. What happened? Has anyone else been following what some are calling a train wreck? I became concerned when I saw his appearance on Lettermman last week:

Let me play psychologist for a minute. I believe that deep down, Joaquin harbors a lot of hate. Having watched this clip and subsequently read his bio, my suspicion is that he suffers from serious identity and love-related issues reaching back to childhood when he was raised in Puerto Rico by a missionary couple. He despises the media and thinks all art critics are pretentious. As an active vegan and spokesperson for PETA, he loves to feel like he is superior to the common man. He is finding his "own way" through life, adhering only to his own fleeting desires. His current condition seems logical taking into account his unique childhood, having been the one to call 911 when his brother, River, collapsed in an LA nightclub from a drug overdose (and later died), checking himself into rehab for alcoholism 2005, no-showing his latest movie premier, and his bizarre early-retirement. That's my prognosis anyway. Then again, his Uni-Bomber-look and budding career Hip-hop might all be a meta-drama as part of an auto-documentary he secretly plans to release in 2010.


Now that I've said my piece, here is the dirty others have scooped up. Hollywood says the "New Joaquin", is a bloated, disheveled, shadow-self of who he once was.

Filmography

Here are some notable films that he has starred in over the past few years:

• We Own the Night (2007) .... Robert 'Bobby' Green
• Walk the Line (2005) .... John R. Cash
• Ladder 49 (2004) .... Jack Morrison
• Hotel Rwanda (2004) .... Jack Daglish
• The Village (2004) .... Lucius Hunt
• Brother Bear (2003) (voice) .... Kenai
• Signs (2002) .... Merrill Hess
• Gladiator (2000) .... Commodus

What unnaturally forces spawned this transformation:

Trivia

Here is some trivia that you might find interesting from IMDB:

• Was born Joaquin Rafael, but at the age of four he decided that he wanted a more earthy name, like his elder siblings River and Rain, so while he was raking leaves with his father he decided on Leaf. In the early '90s he took back his birth name.
• Joaquin's mother is of Hungarian-Russian decent and his father is of Spanish-Irish decent.
• His parents are now divorced.
• Brother of River Phoenix, Summer Phoenix, Rain Phoenix and Liberty Phoenix
• His first name is pronounced "WAA-keen"
• He is a strict, philosophical vegan. He refuses to wear any costumes made out of animal skin. For the movie Gladiator (2000), Quills (2000) and Walk the Line (2005), among others, he requested that his "leather" costumes be made from synthetic materials.
• Once refused to wear shoes during a photo shoot for Prada because they were made out of leather.
• Is a spokesperson for PETA.
• Resides in New York City in the same apartment building as best friend Casey Affleck and sister Summer Phoenix and director Gus Van Sant.
• He dated Liv Tyler for 3 years. (On relationship with Liv Tyler) "I'm a great believer in people coming into your life, and you into theirs, for a reason. And i know that when Liv and I met, it was for a reason - I really needed her and she really needed me. And at a certain point, I think we stopped evolving with each other, stopped progressing, and made a very mature decision to move on, even though there was still a great love there. There's no one gossipy thing that I can share. I'm thankful that we had the time we had."
• Took his mother to the premiere of Gladiator. (2000)
• Took his mother to the Academy Awards. [2001]
• Uncle of sister's (Liberty Phoenix) children Rio Everest, Indigo Orion and another boy, and Summer Phoenix's son Indiana August.
• Contrary to popular belief, the scar on his lip is not the result of a repaired cleft lip or palate. It is simply a birth mark. Phoenix has stated in interviews that, while pregnant with him, his mother felt a sharp pain one day, and he was born with a mark on his lip.
• Shares a birthday with actress Julia Roberts.
• Spoke Spanish as a small child but forgot most of it as he got older.
• Reportedly never reads his own press or reviews.
• Checked himself into rehab to be treated for alcoholism in early April 2005.
• Did his own vocals on the Walk the Line (2005) soundtrack.Phoenix was in car accident January 26, 2006 on a winding canyon road that flipped his car over. Shaken and confused, Phoenix heard a tapping on his window and a voice say, "Just relax". Unable to see the man, Phoenix replied, "I'm fine. I am relaxed". Then managed to see that the man was famed, eccentric German auteur Werner Herzog, and Herzog replied, 'No, you're not'. After helping Phoenix out of the wreckage, Herzog phoned in an ambulance and vanished.
• He and his brother have both appeared in film series that involved Harrison Ford. River Phoenix played the young Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Ford's son in The Mosquito Coast (1986). Joaquin is among those being considered to play John Clarke in the Jack Ryan spin-off Without Remorse (2011), a character that Willem Dafoe played opposite Ford in Clear and Present Danger (1994).
• He and River Phoenix are the first brothers to be nominated for acting Academy Awards.
• Rides a Ducati motorcycle and a yellow '72 Le Mans.
• He made $5,000,000 for his performance in The Village.
• Invited to join AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) in 2006.
• He owns two cats.
• His close friends with Matt Damon and Vince Vaughn and was friends with Heath Ledger.
• Kate Winslet calls him the best actor of his generation.
• Announced his retirement from acting and said that Two Lovers (2008) would be his last movie as an actor. [October 2008]

Contact Information

• Joaquin Phoenix - c/o United Talent Agency - 9560 Wilshire Blvd. - Suite 500 - Beverly Hills, C.A., 90212 (His agent: Iris Burton)
• Home Address: PHOENIX, JOAQUIN (LEAF) 1450 Belfast Dr., LA, CA 90069

What do you think about Joaquin? Is he going through a slump? Is this a phase? Is he finally relaxing into his true identity? Is this craziness actually calculated self-marketing for his new film? Or has he truly gone off the deep end?

p.s. I'm going with tormented genius.