Joaquin Phoenix is an incredible actor with a range to portray varied characters with a natural ease. His portrayals are often praised for their effortless naturalness and authenticity, which sets them apart. Among the many iconic roles he has played over the years, Phoenix’s best-regarded part s considered the DC supervillain Joker.
Starring in the 2019 movie titled Joker, the star underwent a lot of emotions and challenges as he prepared for the iconic role. Though he had fun bringing the character to life in his own way, he was disappointed for not being able to nail the role the way Heath Ledger did.
Joaquin Phoenix Was Furious For Not Being Able To Nail Joker
There is no doubt that Heath Ledger was the best Joker to ever exist. His portrayal and mannerism were such that he seemed to embody how the real-life Joker would look like. He seemed to have grasped the very aspect of the character that his fellow actors have been unable to.
Among the many portrayals of Joker, Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal is high up on the list, second only to Ledger, of course. What the Her star missed was that he lacked the foundation of the character, and as a compromise, he had to get comfortable being in the unknown.
“When we were prepping for, I felt very frustrated because I couldn’t lock on anything that felt like a foundation for the character. And at some point, I realized that was the (expletive) point. He was unstable. It’s shaky ground as an actor. I enjoy not knowing precisely what a character may do, but you want to have like a couple moments that you feel solid about. And that never really happened. We just became very comfortable with not knowing.”
Despite the doubt and frustration, the star’s portrayal earned him his first Academy Award win.
Joaquin Phoenix Appreciates Joker’s Undidactic Apprehension
Joaquin Phoenix had a fun time shooting for Joker despite the character’s negative, complex, and twisted personality. Even though he had to play a lunatic character for months, he enjoyed the process of being an outlier. But what he appreciated the most is that the character is not easy to comprehend.
“It presents a bunch of difficult scenarios and questions, and it challenges the audience to experience it however they want. Everyone I talk to seems to have a different reading: It could be interpreted in a number of different ways and so it’s almost interactive. I really love that.”
And Phoenix is right to say that Joker is not a didactic character, and the Gladiator star did almost a perfect job to bring the very essence of the character to life.
Joker is available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: USA Today
