Joaquin Phoenix says late brother River predicted his success: 'You'll be a more successful actor than I am'
Joaquin Phoenix is admittedly a shy guy. Despite being the fire and heart behind 'Joker', his own personal magnum-opus, which inundated him with both appreciation and criticism, numerous interviewers over the years have called him lip-locked on talking about himself.
After his controversial speech at the Golden Globe Awards, that made many raise their brows, let out involuntary gasps and even jump to conclusions, the somewhat elusive actor does entail a sense of mystery.
However, CNN's Andeson Cooper shall feel lucky, after Joaquin Phoenix opened up about his late brother River Phoenix on an episode of '60 Minutes Overtime' and how he (River) premonitioned about his (Joaquin) success in his life, by saying, "You will be a more successful actor than I am, you will be better known than I am".
Talking about the moment, Joaquin speaks about 'Raging Bull' (1975), a Martin Scorsese classic starring a young Robert DeNiro.
Joaquin tells Cooper, "He came home one day and very excitedly said, you've gotta watch this film (Raging Bull) and through my brother and his understanding and appreciation of that kind of acting, it awakened something in me, I could see it through his eyes and was deeply affected by it."
Pointing towards a scene where Robert DeNiro's character Jake LaMotta is seen talking to a girl through a metal grill and then shaking her pinky, Joaquin shared he was deeply deeply touched by the nuance rendered in it. He says, "That kind beautiful little detail, that wonderful moment is what I am always looking for. What else can we say about this intimate human experience."
The 45-year-old actor also spoke about always feeling his brother around him in some way or the other. River died after suffering fatal drug overdose on the sidewalk outside the West Hollywood nightclub 'The Viper Room' in 1993 at the age of 23.
He says, "Absolutely! Every movie that I have made has had a connection to River in some way. My mom and sisters have kept his memory alive."
Other Phoenix family members including Joaquin's mother Arlyn Phoenix and his sisters -- who have otherwise kept this portion of their lives away from the limelight -- were also covered in the interview and were seen being candid about their experiences with life, grief, and loss after River's death. Answering a question, Arlyn says, "I mean everybody is yearning for the same thing, to be safe, to be loved, to be connected, to be heard, to be valued as a human being I think."