Joaquin Phoenixis currently preparing for his role as the Clown Prince of Crime in Todd Phillips’Jokerand says that he “couldn’t care less” about what anyone thinks of him tackling the part. The movie marks the first time that Phoenix is starring in a comic book film, and the actor is prepared to deliver a character study as opposed to a full-blown superhero movie. With that being said, taking on the role of the Joker is a big deal and comes with some extra baggage.
In a new interview, Joaquin Phoenix spoke abouthis method of preparing for a role, noting that he doesn’t like to promote projects while trying to get into character for another movie. However, that’s exactly what Phoenix has to do right now as he promotesThe Sisters Brothers, which opens in September. The actor says that it’s “ideal” to work on one project at a time, but in the end, he doesn’t really care, and doesn’t care about the pressure of taking on theJokerrole. He had this to say.
“I couldn’t care less. I don’t really think that much about what people think. Who cares, who cares? My approach to every movie is the same. What I’m interested in is the filmmaker and the idea of the character.”
While Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t really care about what people think of hisJokerrole, he didn’t care to discuss the project further. But, Phoenix did shed some light on what attracts him to certain projects and roles, and it has more to do with something being different for the actor. In the end, Phoenix brings it back to talking about why he was attracted to theJokermovie, or any of his other projects, in the first place. He had this to say.
“If there’s something that feels unique, then I don’t really care what genre it is, what budget it is. Those things aren’t important. What gets my interest is examining people. Some of it is really f*cking simple. It’s chemistry, it’s like what you look for in a lover. You know it when it happens.”
Joaquin Phoenix often pushes his acting skills andgets deep into the charactersthat he’s playing. So, one can imagine that Phoenix might be struggling a little bit to get fully into the Clown Prince of Crime while he’s out promoting another project. TheJokermovie is expected tobegin filming this fall, which is also whenThe Sisters Brothershits theaters, so Phoenix will continue to pull some double duty for the time being.
Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson’s portrayals of the Joker have made comic book movie history and their shadows still loom large over the iconic villain. Joaquin Phoenix will be approaching the character from his own unique way forJoker, so it will be interesting to see how his vision of the character is accepted when the film is released. The interview with Phoenix was conducted byIndie Wire.
