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Joaquin Phoenix
THE 21ST QUESTION:
In Reservation Road, you play a grieving father obsessed with avenging the death of your young son.
With your reputation as an intense actor, did the movie's grim subject do a number on you?
PHOENIX:
This is a great question because it exposes another myth in an actor's life.
The producers started off saying, "We have to keep Mark and Joaquin separated."
I move into this big house on location going, "I will not talk to Mark. I'll only eat cornflakes like that character does.
I will be this character. I am committed." Two weeks later I was like, "Mark, do you want to move into this house?" and he goes, "Yeah, okay, cool, man."
I have such a reputation for being too serious or working too hard that I've actually had directors say, "Please go out, get drunk, get laid."
Meanwhile, I can't fucking sleep because every night Mark's upstairs all fucking night long hitting things, cracking things, crying, screaming, "I hate myself!" getting into his role.
Everyone thinks that I'm trying to pull this kind of shit when I'm like, "Hey, I'm just trying to fucking sleep, dude, so I can hit the goddamn mark tomorrow morning."
But, Mark's wonderful and if doing that actually makes you happy, great, go. Jennifer Connelly, who plays my wife, is wonderful, too.
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BY STEPHEN REBELLO
Photo: Michael Muller
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