One of the greatest talents of the generation, a mysterious personality, three Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe and Grammy winner, Joaquin Phoenix, who has already made a mark as Joker even before the release of the film, has lived a traumatic and heartbreaking life that sounds almost like a script of a blockbuster movie.
His family was destined to live through fame, but that didn't come easy.
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Joaquin Phoenix's parents had joined a controversial cult called Children of God, which encouraged children as young as three to explore their sexuality. Joaquin's late brother, River, even revealed in an interview earlier that he lost his virginity at the age of four,?while he was with the cult group.
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The cult also promoted ¡°flirty fishing¡± which meant the women in the group would seduce potential converts. Joaquin and his family in the 70s would travel with the religious group throughout central and South America.
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They all became ¡°delusional¡± with Children of God, but soon they realised something was wrong, and hence, chose to pack up and get out of it. They moved to Los Angeles, but life wasn't easy.
¡°Even when we had no money, we still had a car to sleep in and a friend's driveway we could park in and a dad who said, 'I'm going to take care of you,'¡± Phoenix told Details magazine.
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After quitting the cult, Joaquin Phoenix's father was struggling to make the ends meet. He managed to rent one-bedroom apartment, but the catch was no kids were allowed there. The manager, however, was kind to them. He allowed the five children to stay there, but the kids had to hide for hours behind the washing machine when the owners would arrive at the home. ¡°I don't forget that. It's f*****g crazy to me. I'm just really, really fortunate. Luck. That's what it is."?
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At this point in time, when the Phoenix family was struggling to survive, Joaquin and his siblings would perform on the streets to earn the bread. That is where Iris Burton, their manager and the talent agent, discovered them. She would refer them for TV shows and films.
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His eldest brother River, who was also the most popular in the family, consumed a speedball, heroine and cocaine mixed in a drink, and died of drug overdose, while they were at a club. ¡°I don't feel so good. I think I'm OD'ing,¡± River said after consuming the drink. He was 23.
Joaquin Phoenix not only witnessed his brother descent into drugs but he was there when he overdosed and died. Joaquin was the one who made the call to 911 to seek help, while his sister Rain was trying to stop his drug-induced seizures. Joaquin Phoenix was just 19 at that time when the incident took place.
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After a hiatus of two years, Joaquin Phoenix returned to work and appeared in To Die For along with Nicole Kidman. But, from here on, he was more private than ever before.
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¡°I was leaning on alcohol to make me feel OK,¡± he told Time Out Magazine. It was during the shooting of Walk The Line, in which he played the role of a musician who was battling drug and alcohol abuse that Joaquin Phoenix developed habit of drinking. But it was only after wrapping up the shoot he realised it was becoming a problem.
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He says the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings that he attended during that time were the ¡°best thing ever¡± that he did.
He has been in the industry for a long time now, but still when he gets in front of the camera, he feels ¡°nauseous¡±.. ¡°They have to put f*****g 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,¡± he had told The Interview Magazine.
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He was driving in the Hollywood Hills when he drove off the road. Luckily, German director Werner Herzog's car was right behind him šC who saw this, and instantly came to his rescue. Werner Herzog said that he stopped him from lighting a cigarette near loose gasoline after he pulled him out of the loose wreckage.
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Phoenix once said that he feels lonely because of acting. He gives in everything that he can for the role and when the film is complete, he is left with nothing.
In order to transform into a role, he changes more things than just his lifestyle. He discards everyone from his real life. "I don't communicate with friends or family. It sounds intense, but it's the process of getting there that is really hard," he had told The Guardian in an interview.
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It was in July 2018 that he signed the role of Joker. People may think that his real-life experiences make him a great actor. But Joaquin Phoenix says they play no part in his on screen roles.
For the role of Joker, Joaquin Phoenix lost about 23 Kgs. For a role, which critics have already declared him Oscar-worthy, he had to be convinced for four months by Todd Phillips.? Here's what critics are saying about Joker, which got eight-minute standing ovation at the?Venice Film Festival. Click here.?