JOAQUIN PHOENIX

If you wanted to see just how much punishment a human mind can take on screen, you’d probably stick on a Joaquin Phoenix marathon. The bloke doesn’t really act in the normal sense. He seems to completely dismantle himself, turn into somebody else, and then drag the audience through every uncomfortable second of it. With that intense stare, the scar above his lip, and absolutely no interest in playing the usual Hollywood game, he’s built a career out of making people laugh, cry, and occasionally feel a bit concerned for his wellbeing.

He first made a massive impression back in 2000 as the snivelling and deeply unpleasant Emperor Commodus in Gladiator. Surrounded by huge battle scenes and Russell Crowe shouting at everyone, Joaquin somehow stole the film through sheer creepiness alone. But instead of spending the next twenty years playing villains, he went in every direction imaginable. He became Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, fell in love with an operating system in Her, and turned into a haunted hammer-wielding wreck in You Were Never Really Here.

Then came Joker.

Let’s be honest, plenty of actors could have played a bloke in clown makeup. What Joaquin delivered was something far stranger and far more unsettling. Dropping over three stone for the role, he transformed Arthur Fleck into one of the most memorable characters of the decade and walked away with the Oscar for Best Actor. He later returned for Joker: Folie à Deux, proving once again that he’s never been interested in taking the easy route.

Lately, he hasn’t exactly started playing it safe. He brought a weary, slightly baffled Napoleon to life for Ridley Scott, spent most of Beau Is Afraid looking like a man trapped inside the world’s worst anxiety dream, and reunited with Ari Aster for Eddington alongside Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone. At this point, choosing strange and challenging projects just seems to be part of his DNA.

Insomniacs Trivia

• The Great Hip-Hop Hoax: For the mockumentary I’m Still Here, Joaquin convinced the world he’d quit acting to become a rapper. He stayed in character for more than a year, appearing on talk shows looking completely dishevelled and leaving everybody wondering whether he’d finally lost the plot. It turned out he’d been performing the whole time.

• The Famous Scar: That distinctive scar above his lip wasn’t caused by an accident or surgery. Joaquin was actually born with it, and it has become one of his most recognisable features.

• The Firehouse Experience: To prepare for Ladder 49, Joaquin spent weeks living with firefighters and training alongside them. Typical Joaquin really. Most actors shadow people. He practically moved in.

Insomniacs Take

Joaquin Phoenix is one of those actors who makes you slightly nervous in the best possible way. You never quite know what he’s going to do next, and that’s exactly why he’s so brilliant. In a business full of polished movie stars trying desperately to look cool, Joaquin seems far more interested in showing the ugly, messy and uncomfortable parts of being human. Fair play to him. Cinema would be a lot less interesting without him.

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