‘That, to me, is nirvana!’: Joaquin Phoenix gets personal on acting process that would lead him to a billion-dollar role

When you think of the most iconic performances of the past 60 years or so — the ones that were truly life-changing for an actor — the first ones that come to mind might be: Jack Nicholson’s cold, narcissistic Jack Torrance in 1980’s The Shining, Paul Newman’s portrayal of ne’er-do-well Luke Jackson in Cool Hand Luke, or perhaps something more contemporary, such as Aaron Taylor Johnson’s psychotic Ray Marcus in Tom Ford’s film adaptation of Austin Wright’s 1993 novel Tony and Susan – Nocturnal Animals.

But we can go even deeper to discuss, define, and dissect the portrayals that were so committed, there was no discernible line between actor and character. To dig that deep, I look no further than Joaquin Phoenix.

Think of his elaborate media hoax of 2010, I’m Still Here. People like to talk about Austin Butler as Elvis, how he didn’t see his family for three years, cried on set, and has had an impossible time shaking that Memphis accent. But, I’m sorry – he’s just a little bit too pretty. I need a leading man with some miles on him. I want to see jaded. I want to know he’s seen some shit. You must admit, that’s something Phoenix brings to the set time and time again. I rather like being able to see a bit of stubble, some flab – maybe some nails that are a little bit too long and a lot dirty.

What’s so special about Phoenix?

Why do we love him? It’s because sometimes he takes it too far. Garth Davis — director of Mary Magdalene — said about Phoenix:

“Working with Joaquin is like working with this beautiful wild animal, where you have to give him the space to be free, so his performance can roam freely: raw, uncontrived and truly natural. If he smells the design of the scene, you lose his free spirit; if the script is weak, he will expose its flaws. He is fiercely intelligent and almost completely instinctual. And he has this immense sensitivity that can be both his curse and his gift, but for me, that is what it means to be human. There was no other person in my mind who could have played Jesus.”

That’s quite an endorsement. To me, the translation of this statement is simply: “He makes any film he works on better.” But he takes it all in stride. When asked to describe filming 2004’s Ladder 49, he downplayed the performance.

“Look, I want to sound like one of those actors who works really hard and stuff, but honestly? It was reading the script, talking to Lynne [Ramsay], and making s**t up. Just like every movie.”

But there are other declarations on the experience of working with Phoenix. Salacious stories. James Gray — director of Two Lovers — told a story about witnessing Phoenix prepare for a scene:

“I was shooting Joaquin in the bedroom, just before he was going to talk to Gwyneth’s character, and I saw his head moving in a weird way. I couldn’t figure out what he was doing. Then I realized he was masturbating out of frame. He was doing it because it was true to the character. It was about his commitment to the scene. And you cannot ask for more than that from an actor.”

That was in 2008. It’s safe to say that wouldn’t fly today in an era where we’re more socially aware than ever before, but it certainly speaks to a true chameleon able to achieve full ownership of any given role he’s in. He makes it look effortless. It’s hard to imagine an actor caring about that aspect of the “process.”

“It’s when you’re not using your brain. Like Michael Jordan, when he made that impossible shot and just shrugged — you know, that iconic shrug? That’s what you want. The feeling that it’s not me any more, I’m just a part of something I don’t understand. That, to me, is nirvana!”

That logic has a sort of “found art” quality. From what we can see of Phoenix’s upcoming works, Beau Is Afraid looks to be about as weird as you can imagine. And the three-hour runtime is a commitment better made in one’s own home. Joker: Folie à Deux can’t come soon enough. We are, indeed, living in the age of Joaquin Phoenix. And, like passing a human skeleton while hiking in a cave, you’re scared. Officially spooked. But you just have to keep going.