The bittersweet connection between River Phoenix’s favourite TV show and his brother’s Oscar
It has been 32 years since that fateful night at The Viper Room, where a Halloween gig turned into a real horror story as River Phoenix fatally overdosed on a mixture of heroin and cocaine, dying on the pavement outside as his friends and siblings tried to resuscitate him.
It was no good – the dosage was too much and too dangerous. It was a harsh reminder of how fast everything can change. Phoenix was an Oscar-nominated actor with a bright future ahead of him – he’d already appeared in acclaimed movies like Stand By Me, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and, of course, My Own Private Idaho – but it all ended, just like that.
Understandably, Phoenix’s brother, Joaquin, was deeply affected by the incident; it’s one thing to lose someone, but another to have to watch them go. It made him question if he wanted to be an actor after all – this was an industry where tragedies like this were far too common. So, he took some time away to grieve and get out of the spotlight before eventually returning to the big screen with a supporting role in To Die For.
The star clearly couldn’t stay away forever; he loved acting too much. And it’s a good job he decided not to abandon his craft, because his mark on Hollywood has been indelible, with four Academy Award nominations to his name, one of which he won.
Of course, this was for Joker, in which he played the titular character with a blend of sinister prowess and dark humour. It was going to be hard to follow in the footsteps of other Jokers, like Jack Nicholson’s version from the ‘80s or Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning interpretation, but Phoenix pulled it off.
In fact, it proved to be a lovely full-circle moment for Phoenix, whose Oscar win felt connected to his brother, in a way. Growing up, the pair had an unusual childhood, one tainted by abuse at the hands of a religious cult, and it seems like they didn’t have much of a chance to just be children. Their access to television was limited, but there was one show that River loved in particular: Batman.
The campy comedic take on the superhero, which starred Adam West as the titular character and Cesar Romero as the villainous Joker, was a favourite of the young actor, who got to attend the premiere of the 1989 Tim Burton film, Batman. Here, he expressed his love for the ‘60s show, telling interviewers, “My expectations are very simple: I am hoping to walk out of this place and enjoy what I’ve seen. I hope it carries on the great memories I have of the early show. I grew up with it. It was one of the only shows I ever watched.”
When the younger Phoenix bagged his Oscar for playing The Joker in 2020, you can bet he had his brother in mind. He more than did the character justice – even if the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, didn’t quite land the same way. Still, the role remains one of the standout moments of his career, and the fact it ties back to his late brother’s favourite show adds a quietly bittersweet touch.
