I don't think Joaquin was acting. - Two Lovers (2009) Discussion

[–] bemorecynical2001 15 years ago

That makes no sense. The character was bi-polar, medicated, and emotionally unstable with suicidal tendencies. Not that that could possibly explain any "kooky" or "odd" behavior.

People sometimes don't want to see great acting for what it is. With Walk the Line, his superlative work as Johnny Cash had tabloids claiming the scenes dealing with Cash's brother's death drove him to a breakdown. Joaquin has made it clear he doesn't bastardize himself in his characterizations. It would be like claiming that every torured soul that he has portrayed was just him playing himself--which is bull since no one actually knows the man. And those that do, marvel at how different he is in real life that what he does on screen.

If you actually want to know anything about the filming of the movie, listen to Gray's commentary. That should clear some things up.

"Why would a banana grab another banana? Those are the kinds of questions I don't want to answer."

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[–] mysticgirl35 15 years ago

I do thnk Joaquin is a great actor. I also think playing crazy comes a little too easily to him. And based on what I've seen in interviews, he seems pretty similar to the off way in which he appeared in this movie.

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[–] devo94 15 years ago

What a stupid comment by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. He was acting...

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[–] stuart-193 15 years ago

Actually - it might not be so stupid given Phoenix's recent behaviour. Check out the press and what happened on Letterman

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I don't know what it is, but its weird and pissed off!

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[–] conchord_phan 15 years ago

I am sure the acting of a suicidal bi-polar person could have been stressful, to the point of changing your idea of who you are. All depends on how hard you try to "be" your role.

Treat each day as if it were the last. Please be a child sponsor for World Vision.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] dorovan 15 years ago

why do people tend to overreact? I mean, look at Joaquin's intreviews (not to mention the already mentioned Letterman thing)...he is a wonderful talented actor, unfortunatly with a loose screw, and if he was on drugs? hurray, he is a bit more like all those singers and actors we all love. rolling stones, for instances, were probably sunk on drugs during their golden age. the question is, who cares? they still are of the best bands there is (and was)

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[–] Messalina 14 years ago

I am with you, mysticgirl35. He was definitely losing it/suffering neurological symptoms due to drug abuse. His behavior made no sense in conjunction with his character.

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[–] HeathandMichelle 14 years ago

Oh please, Joaquin was so playing a role on Letterman. And why would the director allow him to not be at his best. I loved him in this role.

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[–] irishaspaddyspig 14 years ago

HeatherandMichelle....When I read the thread title, I said, "Oh, please". Then I read your post. I'm on the same wavelength.

"a malcontent who knows how to spell"

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[–] jakkals 14 years ago

totally agree with heather and michelle!

this man is a bloody genius. he DEF is the best actor of his generation. of quite a few, i'd say.

~~~ "what *beep* said that!" ~~~

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] lythandrel 14 years ago

Films are where the directors work and control shines through. Stage is where true acting shows it's face. A directors vision and an actors vision of a character are frequently different, causing the actor to not be at their opinion of what was best for the role.

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[–] irishaspaddyspig 14 years ago

Phoenix has said, himself, that his initial ideas about a character often are in opposition to the director's. However, the performance that we see is the result of collaboration between the actor and director.
It, of course, depends on the calibre of actor and the ego of the director.

Casey and James Gray would welcome input from Joaquin.
Someone like Alfred Hitchcock, who had no respect for actors, would not have listened to him.

"a malcontent who knows how to spell"

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[–] itssosublime 13 years ago

It seems logical to deduce that whatever psychological or chemical dependency issues Mr. Phoenix, or any other actor is dealing with off-camera will inevitably bleed into their work in some way. To what degree we'll never know, but it doesn't take away from the performance in my opinion. In fact, I have a great deal of trouble believing that anyone who has no clue of what it's like to suffer from, or struggle with such issues in their personal lives could accurately portray one who does. They may have an excellent idea of what it's like, but they'll never be able to duplicate the experience in an overwhelmingly realistic way, such as the case is here. I'm not saying he was in the same state of mind as the character, but he certainly appears genuinely familiar with all of the emotions. Whatever the case, I found his performance exceptional.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] morningdewpr 11 years ago

I think He really brought Leonard to life... portraying his ups and downs authentically... his good person persona...

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[–] dsanchez-2 9 years ago

"His behavior just seemed too kooky and odd"... as the character was supposed to be. I think his acting was great.

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[–] jlam888 (625) 4 years ago

The Joker...:-)

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