It’s probably fair to say that there are very few people out there who didn’t feel that Joaquin Phoenix deserved a Golden Globe award for Joker. That’s not to say folks weren’t surprised when he won, but probably no one was more surprised than Phoenix himself.
At least, that’s according to this short GIF posted to Twitter on The Ringer’s official page, which shows the actor taking a second or two to register what’s going on while crowds of celebrities applauded him in the background.
Nobody looked more surprised or upset with Joaquin Phoenix's win than Joaquin Phoenix. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/SDzk5pGWEU
— The Ringer (@ringer) January 6, 2020
Judging by how long it took him to stand up to go accept his award, he may have been flabbergasted to have been chosen. Maybe he just felt there was no way his portrayal of Arthur Fleck would come out on top against the likes of Adam Driver (Marriage Story) or Christian Bale (Ford V Ferrari).
His reaction goes further, though, as he turned his attention to the growing issue in Australia during his speech, thanking those who had sent their thoughts and gestures during the crisis. But his words were not without agenda, saying that there was so much more that they could be doing to take on more responsibility.
“It’s really nice that so many people have come up and sent their well wishes to Australia, but we have to do more than that. It’s such a beautiful gesture, and I have not always been a virtuous man … I’m learning so much and so many of you in this room have given me multiple opportunities to try to get it right and I’m grateful, but I think together, hopefully, we can be unified and actually make some changes. It’s great to vote, but sometimes we have to take that responsibility on ourselves and make changes and sacrifices in our own lives. I hope that we can do that. We don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs or… and I’ll try to do better. I hope you do too. Thank you so much for putting up with me. I’m so grateful for this night.”
Of course, Phoenix won Best Actor for his starring role as the Clown Prince of Crime in Todd Phillips’ Joker and there’s no denying that his incredible on-screen performance earned him the Golden Globe. We’re sure many of you have already sent your congratulations to him, too, but if not, feel free to take to Twitter to send your praises.