Why Joaquin Phoenix likes your 'Joker' theories. He's also got his own
LOS ANGELES - On a late October afternoon, the day before his 45th birthday, Joaquin Phoenix sits in a Los Angeles hotel suite and somewhat sheepishly lights an American Spirit cigarette. Back in August, he had managed to quit smoking for about three weeks, he explains, but then he started up again when he traveled to the Venice Film Festival in September for the world premiere of his new film "Joker." "It's awful," Phoenix says, shaking his head. "I've got to stop."
It's perhaps understandable that the actor has fallen back on a stress-relieving crutch like smoking given the head-spinning journey he's found himself on lately. A grim, gritty take on the origin of the comic-book world's most iconic villain, director Todd Phillips' "Joker" rode into theaters last month on a wave of headline-grabbing controversy and sharply divided reviews and became an instant smash.
The Warner Bros.
