In a heartwarming moment, Joaquin Phoenix used his acceptance speech to pay tribute to the late great Heath Ledger who died after of drug overdose shortly after delivering a groundbreaking performance as The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Phoenix said (via Vanity Fair): Phoenix also went on to show his support to all the other actors who received nominations as well. Much like DiCaprio, Phoenix began his career in Hollywood as a child actor. He then turned his attention to Christian Bale, jokingly begging him to deliver at least one bad performance. There is little doubt in our minds that Phoenix will win the Best Actor award at the 2020 Oscars as well, deservedly so. In my review of Joker I wrote: Phoenix (Her, The Master) infuses just enough intoxicating charisma, likeability and then swagger into a very unlikeable character that we always empathise with him, even if we don’t agree with him. Phoenix who shed 25kgs for the role looks like a frail man, whose rib cages can be seen to a frightening degree, especially when he stretches on the couch. But that isn’t the most impressive part (though it is very impressive), it’s his ability to give you a peek at Arthur’s at times contradicting and convoluted thoughts and emotions through movement and body language that’s the true testament of his skill. To steal the title of a Dave Eggers book, here — and as always — Joaquin Phoenix delivers a heartbreaking performance of staggering genius that anchors the whole film. By the end of it, I was inebriated off his craft.
