Joaquin Phoenix Wins ‘Best Actor’ Award at Oscars for “Joker” Performance
Richard Moorhead
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Joaquin Phoenix won the award for ‘Best Actor’ for his performance as the titular character in Joker at the Oscars on Sunday night, capping a round of awards and praise for a film that was once considered controversial by the mainstream media.
It would have come as a surprise to many to imagine that Joker’s main character would be accepting an award at the Oscars, if such a prediction had been made around the film’s October release. Joker was lambasted by mainstream media elements for a supposed connection to the ‘incel’ movement and presenting the notion of disaffected men lashing out at society in a positive light.
The film proved widely popular, with some surmising that the controversy surrounding its release spread its appeal. Some figures place Joker as the highest-grossing “R” rated movie in film history.
The film was nominated for best picture, but Parasite won that award.
In his acceptance speech, Phoenix surprised some by going into detail on the topic of animal rights, the environment, and factory farming. Phoenix has criticized some of Hollywood’s practices in previous award speeches.
Phoenix’s wide-ranging acceptance speech, that avoided any direct mention of Joker itself, struck a somber tone at an event known as a hollywood party. The speech was no mere moral lecture, with the veteran actor bringing up some of his own personal problems and work-related difficulties.
“We’re at our best when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes. But when we help each other to grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other to redemption- that is the best of humanity.”
Joker was directed by filmmaker Todd Philips.
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