Why is joaquin phoenix retired

The concerns for the Oscar-nominated actor amid his "career crisis" weren't too far-fetched. In , after filming the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, which led to one of his three Oscar nominations, Phoenix entered rehab for alcohol abuse. He told reporters preparing for the role as the notoriously troubled late musician led him down the path of alcohol dependence. That's what it really was. But through it all, Phoenix's loyal publicist was quick to quash any rumours Phoenix was self-destructing.

Phoenix kept up the act up until at the Venice film festival — the very same event at which his Joker trailer dropped just a week ago — the truth began to unravel.

I'm Still Here was the product of the star's faux nosedive, a mockumentary comedy-drama film directed by Affleck, and co-written Joaquin Phoenix himself.

It purported to follow the life of Phoenix from the announcement of his retirement from acting through his transition into a career as a hip hop artist. Affleck sat alone in the theatre at the Venice premiere to the disappointment of fans, but as the film unfolded — in which Phoenix is depicted as wild and drug-obsessed, it became clear why he stayed away.

One source, however, claimed Phoenix was smuggled into the cinema — clean-shaven and slimmed down — shortly after the lights dimmed. Sitting with a friend right at the back "he laughed his ass off" as he watched the film about his fake plight.

In interviews after the film, Affleck maintained it was all real, even telling theGuardian he thought Phoenix was "a talented rap artist". A baffling compliment seeing as you could barely understand most of his lyrics. Affleck finally cracked after the New York Times announced Joaquin Phoenix was returning to the Letterman show for the first time since his trainwreck appearance 18 months prior.

A fitting bookend. There, Phoenix, looking back to his old self and properly enunciating his words, told the host of the film's origin; "We wanted to do a film that explored celebrity … that would feel really authentic. Further explaining his inspiration, he said: "I started watching a lot of reality television and I was amazed that people believed them because the acting is terrible.

In sitcoms, the character is always named after the actor, right? It just went everywhere. He concedes that the lines became blurred. I wanted out. I wanted my fucking life back. So, yeah, there was a bit of crossover there. If the aim was to shake him from his rut, the gamble paid off.

But the film has a darker legacy, too. Both lawsuits were settled out of court. But I wonder if he feels that mistakes were made and lines crossed. OK, then. Does he feel that the US film industry has an in-built sexual abuse problem? How could I not? Could he, personally, have done more about it? And sex is a weapon.

And I have seen abuses of power all over. Even so, he believes that the ground may be shifting. When it started, I was super-cynical. But I think this may be a moment of radical change.

We know what the stakes are. Phoenix winces. When people want to fight violence with violence, it defeats the purpose. My mom runs a peace-building organisation [the River Phoenix Centre for Peacebuilding].

What they do is restorative justice. Both parties — the aggressor and the victim — have the opportunity to talk about things. That can only be valuable, right? He gulps a breath. The beautiful wife being killed or kidnapped. But so much of it comes down to the language we use. Celebrity Kids. Now You Know. Latest Entertainment. Get the Daily Inside Scoop Right in your inbox. Customize Select the topics that interest you:.

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