“He relished it”: The brief moment Joaquin Phoenix met one of his heroes
By the time 2005 swung around, Joaquin Phoenix had already established himself as a Hollywood hero with his efforts in the likes of Gladiator, Signs, Hotel Rwanda and The Village. That year, though, saw him deliver one of his most notable performances in the musical biopic Walk the Line, playing none other than the legendary and inimitable singer-songwriter Johnny Cash.
Directed by James Mangold and based on two of Cash’s autobiographies, Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and Cash: The Autobiography, Walk the Line focused on the life of one of The United States’ most celebrated musicians, from his early life in Arkansas and his time in the US Army to his country music stardom, romance with June Carter and eventual drug addiction.
Reese Witherspoon played Carter while Ginnifer Goodwin and Robert Patrick also starred. The role was another where Phoenix cemented his position as one of American’s cinemas most promising talents and as a lover of music himself, the actor relished the opportunity to play one of his heroes.
Speaking with the BBC, Phoenix noted that he felt it a shame that Cash had died just two years before the film was released, but also explained that there was some good source material to tap into to prepare for the role. “I had the unedited transcripts from one [autobiography], and James Mangold worked really closely with him for a long time in the development of the story,” Phoenix explained. “So I didn’t feel like I didn’t have enough information, that I was relying on my imagination ever.”
Still, Phoenix said he would have liked to have “spent more time” with Cash. Thankfully, though, the actor was fortunate enough to meet the iconic musician some years before taking on the role in Mangold’s film. Back in 2000, Phoenix starred in James Gray’s The Yards, and the director shot footage of Cash and Carter in Rick Rubin’s studio at around the same time.
At one point, Phoenix’s name came up, and Cash said that he was a big fan of Gladiator, which had just come out at the cinema. Phoenix noted, “Jim Gray said he knew me, John said he’d love to meet and invited me to dinner.” If that weren’t big enough for Phoenix, then what happened after the dinner surely would be.
The actor added, “As I was leaving, he stopped me and said he liked Gladiator. He said what his favourite part was, and then he quoted this dialogue, the most sadistic dialogue you’ve ever heard. And he relished it. That was John.” What a moment for Phoenix to meet one of his heroes and, touchingly, someone who he would be playing just a few years later.
Phoenix admitted that he felt “absolutely” daunted by the prospect of playing a cultural figure that he personally admired so much, but he tapped into his usual method of figuring out whether the role was right for him. “I have this overwhelming need to do the film; I have to do this,” Phoenix said. “And then I go, ‘How do I do this? Am I going to do this right?’ It matters a great deal to me; it’s not just a job in that sense.” What happened next was a touching tribute to one of the all-time greats, also serving as a crowning moment in Phoenix’s career.
