The Devil in Mr. Phoenix
Exclusive Joaquin Phoenix Interview by Paul Fischer

He's dark and brooding, outgrowing the shadow of his late brother, quietly unpretentious yet a young man genuinely unaware oh his true ability as an actor. Through it all, in Ridley Scott's stunning Gladiator, he holds his own among the very best, and for this actor, it's the work, and nothing else, that counts.

Joaquin Phoenix's brooding quality he encapsulates onscreen initially seems to have been transmuted off camera as well. Dressed all in black, his thick hair slightly unkempt, cigarette dangling between his left fingers, there's a hesitation to his answers to even the most obvious of questions. He pauses continuously, emerging as a nervous and agitated. He's clearly unaware of the kind of charisma that generates from the screen. As the villainous Roman Emperor he plays with a flawless English accent in Ridley Scott's $103m epic, Gladiator, Phoenix is an arresting and hypnotic presence. It appears, though, the actor doesn't seem to realize how good an actor he is. "First of all, I really think that the greatest fear for actors, is reaching the point in which they go: 'God, I'm good at this', because I think the work will really suffer. It's not a conscious effort, it's just I always hope I can do justice to the films and characters. I feel that I've been choosy in my roles as much as I can be, and I only work on films that I really want to make."

Such films of late include Clay Pigeons, Inventing the Abbotts and U-Turn. Therefore, Phoenix adds, "I feel immense pressure from myself to do the best job that I can do, and I'm never really satisfied." On Gladiator, a mammoth spectacle, in which Phoenix lights up the screen as the treacherous Roman Emperor Commodus, the actor was nervous about doing the film, so sought advice from co-star Russell Crowe. "He said 'Shut up mate, here's a valium.' ", Phoenix begins laughingly. "What he really said was 'Take it easy, it'll be fine, just breathe deeply, we're all in this together.' I'd never worked on a film on quite this size, and initially it was a little overwhelming. When I first arrived at the camp, saw the sets and just the size of the crew, all that played a part in my nervousness. But Ridley has such a calm nature about him and he put me immediately at ease."

Staying true to his last name, the 26-year old has made a career out of making a couple of films, disappearing, and then reappearing from the ashes to rise upwards towards greater glory. The actor, who began his career under the name of Leaf, lived for a long time in the shadow of his older brother, River. After River's tragic death at the age of 23, 'Leaf' abandoned his career for two years, making a comeback in 1995 with his performance in To Die For, directed by Gus Van Sant (who ironically directed River in one of his last films, 1993's Even Cowgirls Get the Blues). Since then, the actor, who changed his name back to Joaquin in the early 1990s, has worked steadily in Hollywood, solidifying both his experience and reputation. Between Leaf and Joaquin, Phoenix simply stopped acting and traveled. "My Leaf phase was 8-15, so I was a child actor and there weren't many options in terms of films. Then I took some time off before embarking on the Joaquin phase."