Joaquin Phoenix is one of Hollywood's most controversial actors, playing both hopeless romantics and ruthless villains. His track record is full of characters that have helped Joaquin showcase his talent. From Ridley Scott to Gus Van Sant, Vogue UA looks back at the actor's best work.
Joaquin Phoenix
Gladiator, 2000
Advertising.
“Gladiator” is a historical drama by Ridley Scott. The events of the film take place in the Roman Empire in 180 AD during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. This film was nominated for 119 awards and won 49, including five Oscars and two Golden Globes. And the role of the Roman emperor Commodus made Joaquin Phoenix famous.
Hotel Rwanda, 2004
The main character of the film, named Paul, is the manager of a prestigious hotel in the capital of Rwanda, where several hundred people have taken refuge from the killers. Paul does everything to save them. The plot of the film is based on real events of the mid-1990s, when the Hutus, who were the ethnic majority in Rwanda, staged a bloody massacre in the country and destroyed more than a million people belonging to the Tutsi.
Master, 2012
“The Master” is a drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film is about Freddy, who returns from war and tries to adapt to a peaceful life. The film premiered at the 69th Venice Film Festival. Although the film failed at the box office, even before its release, critics called the film one of the key contenders for the 2013 Oscar. Phoenix and Hoffman were recognized as the best at the Venice Film Festival, and Paul Thomas Anderson was awarded the Silver Lion for best director there. In total, the film was nominated more than 70 times at various film festivals, it collected many awards and was named the best film of 2012 by film critics.
She, 2013
“Her” is an American fantasy melodrama by Spike Jonze. The events of the film take place in the near future, where every person has the opportunity to use a personalized operating system with artificial intelligence. The main character Theodore launches “Samantha” and is stunned by how his lonely life changes. In Samantha, he finds a true friend and very soon their relationship goes beyond business. The National Board of Film Critics of the United States named the film “Her” the best work of 2013, and the American Film Academy gave the film an “Oscar” for best original screenplay.
Mary Magdalene, 2017
Mary Magdalene is a biblical drama film directed by Garth Davis, which tells the story of a follower of Jesus Christ, a Christian saint who was one of the first to witness his resurrection. The film stars Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix.
Don't worry, he won't go far, 2018
The American comedy-biographical drama “Don't Worry, He Won't Go Far”, directed by the cult independent director Gus Van Sant, tells the story of a young alcoholic musician John Callaghan (Joaquin Phoenix), who after tragic events became wheelchair-bound. His girlfriend Anna (Rooney Mara) tries in every way to restore John's interest in life. In the end, he quits drinking, gradually learns to live in a wheelchair and unexpectedly discovers a talent for drawing cartoons.
Joker, 2019
Todd Phillips' piercing drama about the rise of Batman's archenemy, the Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix. The actor not only lost 24 kilograms for the role, but also spent six months honing one detail – his character's nervous laughter. Phillips said that his film is not about a villain who keeps the whole world in fear, but about an outsider who becomes a criminal because he has not found empathy and love in the world. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where critics unanimously recognized it as almost the best interpretation of the story about a villain. The film also set a box office record for October: it collected more than $ 849 million at the box office worldwide, which made it one of the highest-grossing releases of 2019 and the highest-grossing R-rated film in history.