The Stunning Transformation Of Joaquin Phoenix

Academy Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix is known for his portrayals of both immense historical figures like Jesus and Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as his more nuanced roles in films like "Her" and "Inherent Vice." Since bursting onto the scene following his late brother River, Phoenix has had his ups and downs in Hollywood and has even taken a break from the limelight a time or two. But he has always returned to his love of performing, accompanied by his interest in discovering the "why" beneath a character's skin. "In the end, it's a character," Phoenix said of the acting process to The Guardian. "And, as with all characters, whether it's Johnny Cash or whoever, you have to make it about a man; about his personal experience ... it was important to me to find those human qualities." Throughout his career, the actor has made waves on screen and off, providing for a thrilling look into the mind of an artist.

Joaquin Phoenix grew up alongside his four siblings as part of the free-spirited Phoenix clan in 1970s Los Angeles. The family adopted the surname "Phoenix" during that decade, and Joaquin himself went by the name "Leaf" for a period of time. They were also once active members of the Children of God, a controversial religious group that sent them as "missionaries" to South America. "I think it was really innocent on my parents' part," Joaquin said of his family's involvement with the sect to Playboy (via Entertainment Tonight). "They really believed, but I don't think most people see it that way ... I think the moment my parents realized there was something more to it, they got out."

Apart from their spiritual upbringing, the family also learned about the ins and outs of Hollywood courtesy of their matriarch's day job as an NBC secretary. "My mom learned a lot about the good and bad aspects of Hollywood," Rain Phoenix, Joaquin's older sister, told The Guardian. "There are so many beautiful things about the industry as well as really hideous things; it was almost like having an insider." Under the watchful eye of their parents, the Phoenix children spent time busking in the LA streets, singing original songs and appearing in commercials, setting the two brothers of the group up for Hollywood stardom.

Alongside his late brother River, Joaquin Phoenix took to Tinseltown at an early age to begin his acting career. Because of his mother's position at NBC, the Phoenix kids were introduced to a talent agent, and things took off there. The actor knew from an early age that he had found the right path for his life. "For some kids, it's the first time they crack a ball or score a goal. For me, it was this," he told The Guardian. "I remember the first scene on the TV set so vividly. And I knew that I loved it — the physical sensation; how powerful it was. That's the feeling I've been chasing ever since."

Phoenix's career started small with roles in '80s films, including "SpaceCamp" and "Parenthood," while his older brother made a splash early with an Oscar-nominated role in "Running on Empty" and the critically acclaimed "Stand by Me." At the beginning of the 1990s, Phoenix (who was then going by Leaf) took back the name Joaquin and decided to take a break from acting, instead moving to Mexico with his father and learning Spanish. Plus, it was River who convinced his younger brother to return to the profession. "He said, 'You're going to be an actor and you're going to be more well known than I am,'" Phoenix revealed to Vanity Fair. "I don't know why he said that or what he knew of me at the time ... But he also said it with a certain weight, with a knowing that seemed so absurd to me at the time."

Joaquin Phoenix was by his brother's side when he died of a drug overdose at the entrance of Los Angeles club The Viper Room in 1993. It was Joaquin who even called the ambulance that fatal night. "I'm thinking he had Valium or something," he reportedly told the emergency operator (via People). After the tragedy, Joaquin disappeared from the spotlight alongside his family for a year before returning to the screen in 1995's "To Die For," directed by legendary filmmaker Gus Van Sant. The movie, which was a critical success, is credited with reigniting Phoenix's career.

The Oscar-winning actor does not talk publicly about his brother much, but he does honor his older sibling in a touching way. When his first child was born in 2020, he and his partner Rooney Mara named the baby River. "I've come nearer acceptance — I wouldn't say understanding, because it's something I'll never understand — but just an acceptance of River's death," he once shared with The Guardian.

In 2000, Joaquin Phoenix's career skyrocketed with his turn as Roman Emperor Commodus in the blockbuster film "Gladiator." The role earned him his first Academy Award nomination and pushed Phoenix fully into the Hollywood stratosphere like never before. The nomination was also a special occurrence, as it cemented Joaquin and River Phoenix as the first brothers to ever be nominated for Academy Awards in acting categories.

Despite the film's success (it was the second-highest-grossing film of the year), Phoenix revealed that his fear of being on set was debilitating. "I was literally visibly shaking and I couldn't get through the dialogue," he revealed to Cinemablend. "It was just take after take after take ... I mean, for hours." However, director Ridley Scott had a trick to get his star to relax on camera. "And at the end ... of the movie, [Scott] said, 'Do you know that I didn't have any film in the camera until like the last five takes?'" Phoenix continued to Cinemablend. "He knew that it wouldn't be helpful to me to just say, 'Let's rehearse it.' He had to make me feel as if we were actually filming ... he knew it was the only way for me to get to this place of feeling comfortable. I just was so amazed by that."

Joaquin Phoenix followed up "Gladiator" by signing on to two M. Night Shyamalan horror thrillers, which he filmed over the course of 18 months. First was 2002's "Signs" opposite Mel Gibson, in which he portrayed Gibson's eldest son who helps the family survive when a mysterious alien race invades Earth. The second film was 2004's "The Village" opposite Bryce Dallas Howard and Sigourney Weaver. "With all good directors you always have a feeling that you don't want to let them down," Phoenix told Phase9 Entertainment. "You feel this overwhelming need to succeed."

The films were both box office successes, grossing $408 million and $257 million respectively. Plus, they made Phoenix even more of a household name. "With Night, I always feel a great deal of pressure, because he knows his films so well," he told Phase9 Entertainment. "You kind of get the sense that he could almost act the part better than you could. That can be intimidating."

One of Joaquin Phoenix's biggest successes of his career came in the form of 2005's "Walk the Line," in which he starred as country music icon Johnny Cash. "I just had a good feeling about it," Phoenix said of the role to ABC News. "The idea of playing such an interesting, complex character that had an incredibly rich life was overwhelming." The film earned the actor multiple accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for best actor in a motion picture — musical or comedy and a Grammy Award for best compilation soundtrack for visual media. He also earned his second Academy Award nomination, this time for best actor.

During the making of the film, Phoenix used his now famous method acting skills to get into character. He tapped into his musical side by writing his own version of Johnny Cash's songs to get into character, and he even ended up singing the songs that appeared on the soundtrack. But the method acting didn't just stick with him. During a reenactment of Johnny Cash's famous Folsom Prison concert, Phoenix asked crew members to act as "wardens" and instruct extras on set to act like real prisoners, creating a more lifelike environment for him to play off of. "That was the fire I needed," he shared with The Guardian. "I can't fake it and just say, 'I'm yelling now!' I know if I'm lost in the moment or not."

With the help of actor-director Casey Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix once crafted an elaborate hoax that fooled the world into thinking he was quitting acting — again. In 2008, Phoenix starred as himself in Affleck's mockumentary "I'm Still Here," which tracked the actor's "retirement" from acting and pursuit of a hip-hop career. He even went as far as announcing his "retirement" during an interview with Extra. "I want to take this opportunity to give you an exclusive ... I've been through that. I've done it," he shared with the outlet (via E! News).

Years later, Phoenix clarified that the entire thing was a hoax that ultimately ended up affecting his career adversely for a while. "I didn't know how to keep up the ruse," he revealed to Pearl & Dean. "[And] nobody believed us ... I remember at one point just really being desperate and feeling like I really f***ed myself and I can't get a job."

When the opportunity to star in Paul Thomas Anderson's 2012 drama "The Master," he didn't hesitate (even without finishing the script) before accepting the role. He ended up receiving critical praise for his portrayal of a World War II veteran and earned his third Academy Award nomination as a result.

Phoenix continued on his critically acclaimed path with 2013's "Her," in which he played a solitary man who falls in love with a Siri-esque AI voice program, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The film, directed by Spike Jonze, inspired Phoenix on multiple levels. "When I saw the cut [of the movie], I immediately had the instinct to talk to somebody else about it," he shared with The Guardian. "It's that kind of movie, it inspires these thoughts in you. It's rare to have a movie where you wanna connect with somebody else and communicate some of the ideas."

The actor then followed up his star turn with a role in another Paul Thomas Anderson film, 2014's "Inherent Vice." The film reunited him with "Walk the Line" co-star Reese Witherspoon, with whom he had formed a close bond with on set. "It had been ten years [since 'Walk the Line'] but it's like nothing had changed," he told Den of Geek. "She made the movie last time and she's great in this."

While filming "Her," Phoenix ended up meeting his future partner, Rooney Mara. The pair would not end up romantically involved until they reunited on screen in the movie "Mary Magdalene." "I was looking for something meaningful," Phoenix said of the 2018 film to The New York Times Style Magazine. "I was looking for an experience. I was friends with Rooney.”

The couple made their first public appearance together the next year and eventually got engaged. "She's the only girl I ever looked up on the internet," Phoenix revealed to Vanity Fair (per People). "We were just friends, email friends. I'd never done that. Never looked up a girl online." The actor credits Mara with being a grounding source for him, particularly when he takes on such demanding roles. "Rooney said to me the other night, 'Do you realize how many great opportunities you've had? These films?'" he shared with Vanity Fair. "I said it's true, I've been so fortunate." The partners also welcomed their first child, a son named River, in 2020 and welcomed their second child in 2024.

Phoenix's biggest success as an actor came with his title role in 2019's "Joker." His take on the classic Batman villain earned him not only his first Academy Award for best actor but also cemented his name as part of the second-highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. The drama grossed more than $1 billion and held the No. 1 title until being usurped by 2024's "Deadpool and Wolverine."

The actor took on the hefty role, knowing that there are multiple dimensions to the villain, who goes by the name of Arthur Fleck in this iteration. "There's so many different ways of looking at [him]," Phoenix shared with Vanity Fair. "You can either say here's somebody who, like everybody, needed to be heard and understood and to have a voice. Or you can say this is somebody that disproportionately needs a large quantity of people to be fixated on him. His satisfaction comes as he stands amongst the madness." He later reprised the role opposite Lady Gaga in 2024's "Joker: Folie à Deux."

In 2023, Joaquin Phoenix reunited with legendary director Ridley Scott to portray another controversial historical leader: Napoleon Bonaparte. The historic epic focused on Napoleon's military prowess as well as his relationship with his wife, Josephine de Beauharnais, played by Vanessa Kirby. Aside from their history on "Gladiator," Scott credited Phoenix's role in "Joker" as the impetus for casting him in the lead role. "I was blown away by ... 'Joker,'" the director told Deadline. "Joaquin was remarkable. I thought he'd be an amazing asset to Napoleon, [not only creatively] also in a commercial sense."

In preparing for the hefty role, the actor made sure to use his own input to inform his portrayal of the polarizing character. "Right from the beginning, I put my own curiosity and interests [into the role]," Phoenix told Forbes of his process on the notorious figure. "I mean, [there] were probably some things that were critical, you can't really defy the facts, but ... there are some things where there is a general consensus, where people accept certain facts."

The film ended up grossing more than $220 million at the global box office but did not earn Phoenix another Oscar nomination. He instead set his sights on continuing his path of portraying nuanced characters and providing insight into complicated dramatic figures.