HOLLYWOOD- Joaquin Phoenix, the dynamic, and some would say, eccentric actor, who’s life is way more interesting than the characters he portrays, has just been slated for the role of Joaquin Phoenix in the Warner Brother’s biopic of the actor Joaquin Phoenix titled: When You Think About It, Only My Name Is Joaquin Phoenix.
He has played the likes of Johny Cash, the sadistic emperor Commodus, and in his most recent flick with director Gus Van Sant, Don’t Worry, He won’t Get Far On Foot, the controversial cartoonist John Callahan. Being more interesting than these figures is no small order. But we’re talking Joaquin Phoenix here.
Joaquin Phoenix was not Warner Brother’s first choice for the role of Joaquin Phoenix. Their initial concern was that even Joaquin Phoenix wasn’t interesting enough to tackle the role of Joaquin Phoenix. The studio’s list was a veritable who’s who of Joaquin Phoenix caliber actors. Zach Galifianakis, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jared Leto, Christian Bale, and Charlize Theron, all had to pass on the role due to prior obligations of being intensely talented and enigmatic actors themselves. In fact, there were safety concerns for such already extremely intriguing personalities taking on a role of someone as mesmerizing and quirky as Joaquin Phoenix. Doctors weren’t sure of the effects of packing so much personality in the space of single human being.
Michael Gladstone, the film’s executive producer told TOWN PM, “His life is so riveting, it’s really hard to fit it all in because the limitations of film making, so the movie is about highlights, certain events if you will, about the charismatic and deeply engaging actor known as Joaquin Phoenix. There simply is no medium which can realistically get to the heart of who, or what, Joaquin Phoenix is. It’s tantamount to making a world sized map of the world, but we’re shoving off from the shores of futility regardless. A story about Joaquin Phoenix, even though it is doomed to be incomplete and somewhat boring in relation to the actual life of Joaquin Phoenix, has just got to be made.”
The actor admits, portraying himself will be his hardest role to date, commenting, “I am the most complex, nuanced, character I’ve ever had to be. You know it’s like when you were young and told to just be yourself, I always wondered what in the hell does that even mean? Well, now I’m about to find out.”