Joaquin Phoenix Reveals His All-Time Favorite Actor
When Joaquin Phoenix accepted his SAG Award back in 2020, he used the moment to shine a light on the actors who inspired him the most.
At the very end of his speech, Phoenix turned emotional as he spoke about Heath Ledger, who played the Joker years before him.
“I’m standing here on the shoulders of my favourite actor, Heath Ledger, so thank you,” Phoenix said to the crowd. Ledger’s unforgettable performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight has become the version most fans think of when they picture the character. Sadly, the role was one of his final projects before his sudden death in 2008 at the age of 28.
Phoenix explained at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival that Ledger’s work pushed him to find his own path when preparing for Joker. “The attraction to make this film and this character was that we were going to approach it in our own way, so, for me, I didn’t refer to any past iterations of the character,” he said. “It just felt like something that was our creation in some ways.”
While Ledger was clearly his biggest influence, Phoenix also gave credit to Leonardo DiCaprio during his SAG Award speech. He shared a story about his early auditions, saying, “When I started acting again and going to auditions, I’d get to the final callback and… I’d always lose to this one kid. No actor would ever say his name because it was too much. You have been an inspiration for over 25 years to me and so many people.”
Phoenix didn’t stop there. He also gave a playful nod to Christian Bale, who was one of his fellow nominees that night. Bale, best known for playing Batman in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, had been nominated for his role in Ford v Ferrari. Phoenix joked, asking him to “just suck once” so someone else could win.
By the end of his speech, Phoenix had turned what could have been a simple thank-you moment into a heartfelt tribute to some of the greatest actors of his generation, while also giving fans a glimpse into the people who shaped his own journey.
