Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as the Joker has been called revolutionary. I believe it is a modern masterpiece and will be remembered for generations to come. There are many aspects of this film that were groundbreaking. The originality of director Todd Phillips story and cinematography, Hildur Guðnadóttir’s musical score, and Joaquin Phoenix’s acting are all worthy of discussion. But here, I want to focus on how you can use the same methods Phoenix used to embody a character yourself. I want to share with you a method that works for me and may help you in your own creative endeavors.
In this blog post, I will deconstruct Joaquin Phoenix’s acting method so that anyone can learn how to get into character quickly and effectively.
How To Get Into Character: A Deconstruction of Joaquin Phoenix’s Performance as the Joker
Chapter One: The Power of Ritual
On May 10th, 2018, Joaquin Phoenix made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He was already bald and had lost 52 pounds for his role as Arthur Fleck in the upcoming film Joker. He told Kimmel that he had gained the weight back after filming ended but lost weight again because he had agreed to appear on
This is a blog about the joker and how you can be like him.
In 2019, the movie Joker was released and it has been getting a lot of attention, especially for Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as the titular character.
The actor gained over 50 pounds for this role and went through some pretty extreme lengths to get into character. He didn’t wash his hair or cut his nails for the first few months of filming and spent all day in his trailer practicing his smile. He even went so far as to spend time with actual people who suffer from mental illness.
But why did he do this? What was his process like? And can we find any lessons here that we can apply to our lives? In this blog, I’ll be answering those questions, as well as exploring my personal connection to this film and its subject matter.
I hope you enjoy reading about Joaquin Phoenix’s transformation into the Joker!
On the surface, “Joker” seems to be a tale of how one man becomes the clown prince of crime. Look deeper, though, and you’ll see it’s also a story about how any human being can transform themselves into a terrifying, homicidal maniac.
If you love theater and want to become an actor, then read on for our surprisingly easy steps to get you into character as the Joker!
Step 1: Learn to Dance
The Joker is more than just a killer; he’s an artist. He knows how to use his body to express himself in the most provocative ways. In the film, we see him dancing around his apartment with full-bodied movements and a smile on his face. This is what separates him from other serial killers in film; he has passion.
Step 2: Take Up Painting
Much like Heath Ledger’s version of the Joker, Joaquin Phoenix exhibits a vivid sense of color and design that sets him apart from other villains in fiction. His apartment is covered in paintings — something he has done himself — and we even see him wearing a green shirt with red pants at one point in the movie. This combination of colors shows us that he knows how to make himself stand
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Joaquin Phoenix explained his process for becoming the Joker:
“I was thinking about what would make somebody become that character,” he said. “And there were a lot of things that I thought could potentially influence someone to do that, to become that character. And then it just seemed like this was the best way in. It really seemed like the strongest way of expressing something that was so important to me, and something I wanted to say.”
In this post, we’ll explore how Phoenix used physicality and voice to get into character as Arthur Fleck, the man who becomes the Joker. We’ll deconstruct specific moments from the film’s trailer and explain how you can use these techniques to create your own unique character.
Many actors, when they’re trying to get into character for a role, will do crazy things. They’ll gain or lose weight for the part. They’ll learn a new accent or pick up a hobby that their character would have. Joaquin Phoenix had to do all of this and more in order to convincingly portray the Joker in Todd Phillip’s recent film.
The first and most obvious change was his weight. In order to look like the Joker and capture the depressed nature of his character, Phoenix lost 52 pounds over the course of eight months. He did this by eating only an apple and a can of tuna per day, drinking water and smoking lots of cigarettes. These methods are not recommended, as they are unhealthy and may cause permanent damage to your health.
In addition to changing his appearance, he changed his behavior as well. He walked around New York City with a limp and wore clown makeup while on set so that he could be in character at all times during filming and avoid feeling “phoney” in front of the camera. He practiced dancing for hours every day so that he could accurately mimic Arthur Fleck’s iconic dance moves from the movie. He also learned how to play the piano by watching
The Joker is arguably one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history. He has been portrayed by numerous actors, including Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger; however, Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as the Joker in 2019’s Joker movie is the most recent interpretation. Phoenix brilliantly portrays a man who has lost his mind, and his performance could not be achieved without his meticulous approach to character development.
Joaquin Phoenix is a man of few words. At the Toronto International Film Festival, where his new film “Joker” debuted with rave reviews, he sat down to discuss the work that went into one of his most challenging performances yet. But when asked about his preparation, Phoenix was mostly silent, letting the title of his film answer for him.
“The movie is what it is,” he said during an interview with Vanity Fair at TIFF. “I think those words speak for themselves and tell you everything you need to know about the film. We didn’t want to say anything more than that—about who he is and why he does what he does.”
For someone whose breakout role was as a young man who refuses to speak in Gus Van Sant’s 2000 drama “To Die For,” Phoenix has since found a way to speak volumes through silence. He has become one of our most meticulous actors, diving deep into roles and dedicating himself to physical transformations that have earned him critical acclaim and awards attention. With Todd Phillips’s “Joker,” this is truer than ever: Phoenix lost 52 pounds to play the film’s titular character, a failed
