As the corrupt, young Emperor Commodus in
this summer's epic blockbuster Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix wowed audiences
as the character they loved to hate.
Phoenix made his big screen debut in 1986's SpaceCamp under the
name Leaf Phoenix. In 1995, after taking a multiyear hiatus he returned with a
critically-acclaimed performance as the seduced teen in Gus Van Sant's To Die
For. He quickly followed that with well-received turns in Clay Pigeons, Return To Paradise and
8mm.
This fall, Phoenix stars in The Yards as Willie Guttierrez, a
young man whose pursuit of the American dream goes astray. The thriller, set in
the grimy New York City subway system, costars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron
and James Caan. Also out this fall will be Quills, starring Phoenix as a
young Catholic priest opposite Geoffrey Rush and Kate Winslet.
You were supposed to play Mark Wahlberg's part (Leo) initially in The Yards.
JP:
James Gray, the director, had first approached me about the role of Leo. I read
the script, this was back years ago, this was soon after Inventing The
Abbotts and Clay Pigeons. And I just wanted to play a character that
was more active...I don't know. There was something about the Willie character
that just really appealed to me, something that I felt I could do with that
character and I felt he had a great trajectory. Always as an actor, for me, I
look for characters that go through an evolution throughout the course of the
story. Because, I guess simply, it's just more fun.
You worked with a big name cast of young and
veteran actors. What was that like and did you you learn anything from the
experience?
JP:
Every film I work on I learn something new but I'm afraid I don't have any
stories about, you know, Faye Dunaway, taking me aside...It's always nice to
work with veteran actors, people who have just been around. It was kind of
the perfect combination, I think, cause in a sense they did kind of hold us
together.
You had to strip down for this role. Were
you comfortable with that?
JP:
The great thing about it was we were on Roosevelt Island (New York City) and we
had tour boats driving by me the whole time. I've done quite a few nude scenes
but they were more like sexual scenes and it was in a closed off room in a
studio or something.
There's been buzz about an Oscar possibility
for you. Are you even thinking about the Oscars at this point?
JP:
I think it's a wonderful thing. I think it's great to have people that you work
with respond to something that you do in a positive way. But it doesn't validate
what I do and I don't need it and it's not important to me. I love making
movies... But I'm really flattered that there's even any talk.
- Robin Stevenson
that from www.tribute.ca