"I don't give a shit if I look like a freak, look at me right now:this is part of what's so sad about the business. They build you up-they take me, see they make me look pretty, they put the stuff in the hair, put the makeup on, snap the picture-then when they decide that I'm f*cked-up and on the downward spiral, they start using the picture someone's snapped where I've just gotten off a plane, flown all night through 7 time zones and I'm in mid-blink. while they like you, they use the good picture. But when word gets out that you might be doing drugs, when word gets out, right or wrong, that you, gasp, had drinks at a party, they dig up this picture and say Oh, look, he's stoned at the airport, he's stoned all the time." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"Acting wasn't a conscious decision. I just sort of fell into it. It was instinctual" ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"I love acting, it makes me feel good." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"What I search for in my work is an honesty in storytelling, with characters that evolve in a realistic fashion."~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"People don't realize I'm simply creating characters, one luxury I have is that my personal life is unclear and mysterious. as an actor, that's really ideal because it's easier for audiences to accept you as different characters." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"To me it's a crime to sneak in and take a picture of someone dead in their...it's a crime and if I ever found out who did that, I'd probably end up in prison. Because I'd beat the living shit out of them."~~~Joaquin Phoenix
I felt so sorry for my mother having to do her shopping and be bombarded by those ugly headlines on magazine covers." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
" people always insinuate: does my acting have something to do with my brother's death? I don't think I could do it if I thought that. I wouldn't do it." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"It's a slow process. I remember thinking as a kid, 'God what would I do if I lost my dad or mom?' I figured I'd go insane or kill myself. But somehow for years you're so damn out of it. You just sit there." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"I never felt I was in anyone's shadow. How people percieved me or my life growing up has nothing to do with how I view myself. I'm proud and honored to be associated with my brother and to be his brother." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"I've come to a nearer acceptance-I wouldn't say understanding, because it's something I'll never understand-but just an acceptance of River's death. What was difficult in the beginning was that I felt robbed of my memories. See, a public death is a really difficult thing to go through. The death of someone you love is difficult enough on its own. Then, when your memories of what happened are distorted and put out there for public consumption...you just feel so robbed. Anything that was mine, that I knew people would angle for, try to ask me, they wanted to know things."~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"We lived out of our van. It wasn't a traditional lifestyle but we saw the world as a family. Eventually we settled outside Los Angeles and that's how River started acting."~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"I've always felt when I was younger that there was something missing. I guess you go through that growing up - you want something. As soon as I started working as an actor, I just felt this void had filled".~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"My brother and sisters had these beautiful names, I guess I felt a little left out." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"When you grow up in a large family, you have friends right there." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"We once got this house on the corner that was the maid's quarter's for another house, but to us, man, it was a mansion." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"We worked really hard to get to the point where we could own a house, where my dad didn't have to break his back everyday. That broke my heart." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"In comparison to a lot of other people's childhood ours was idyllic, our parents were always there to encourage us, trying to get us to express our creativity. I had a wonderful family."~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"I'm a private person." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"I'm definately a sucker for family movies...I love those kind of films. I mean, I have no problem with explosions, that's all fine and dandy. But I generally like to see real people. ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"The minute I read "To Die For," I knew that I wanted the character to have that Bill Ray Cyrus sort of hair. So I had them put in some extensions and pierce the ear. I thought this was a really ridiculous hairstyle and I still do. But it's funny, in Canada, I'm walking to the set laughing about it and I look up and like 60% of the crew has the haircut - the hockey cut." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"I know people that are like 'I would never do one of those Japanese commercials for a million dollars, 2 million dollars.Screw you. Goddamn right I'll do a commercial for two million dollars. Are you high? F*cking-A I will. I'll do it for 2 million dollars and then what am I going to do tomorrow? I'm going to do something good with that money. That's how I see it." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix
"I like country and Miles Davis jazz, I detest contemporary rock. On that count, my culture goes no further than the 70's." ~~~Joaquin Phoenix