Quotes By Joaquin Phoenix

The only reason why I would like to be accepted? Because if your movies don't do well, after a while you don't get to make any more movies.

I feel like everything you learn as an actor growing up is wrong. You're supposed to hit your mark, find your light and know your lines. Those are all things that just make things wooden, dull and boring.

I never prepare. I think that's completely overrated. It's a very simple job. All you have to do is hit this bright mark, stand in the right spot and say the line. So I don't really believe in preparation.

I love having a master. I have no problem serving my director. That's my job. I want to make them happy.

I guess my experience with some stuff is kind of abstract.

My parents were just searching for an alternative way of raising their children.

Things are rarely as exciting or dramatic as we make them out to be in the press.

When I decide to do something, I stick with it, total commitment.

Whether you think a film will affect society or it's plain entertainment, it's all excellent, it's all noble.

I loved hip-hop. The first stuff I heard was Public Enemy, and I couldn't believe it. It was amazing, and I've always loved hip-hop.

I still think that movies are amazing; I respect actors and directors.

For me, I guess I'm the acting equivalent of somebody that jumps off buildings and parachutes.

Sometimes a character is really based on research that you do. Other times it's just based on your imagination or perhaps your conversation with the director. Or sometimes all of the above. It depends on the movie and character.

I wish I had fair justification for not being as informed as I should be, but I don't.

I guess I had what you could call an unconventional upbringing.

Acting is real important to me. I love it, and it's something I care about.

I know if I'm lost in the moment or not.

Well, I think that you know, I threatened myself with quitting after every movie. But I think everybody does that, right?

I think the day that I become comfortable doing interviews and going on talk shows is the day that I don't know what it is to be a human being anymore.

I've always loved hip-hop, since I was a kid, that's the music that I loved. I think everyone of our generation kind of fantasized about hip-hop in some ways.

You see so many earnest characters in movies all the time, everyone has a purpose.

If you walk into a room and one hundred people say, 'You are a lovely, beautiful person', who isn't going to be affected by that? But you have to tell yourself not to value that. You have to tell yourself - or at least I do - to not become accustomed to hearing applause in any way, because I think that's dangerous.

I'm vomiting days before I start shooting a new movie.

I don't know a single person in life that doesn't have conflict.

I had a really wonderful upbringing. We were a tight family. It was wonderful to grow up with so many siblings. We were all just a year or two apart, and we were always so supportive of each other. I learned everything from my older brother and sister and taught it to my younger sisters.

In every film, whether it's a fictional character or not, you create an idea of the character and for me I always do a bad impersonation to start with.

I would try and sing along with bands that I like but it sounded so atrocious that I couldn't.

There are kids who get on a BMX bike when they're eight years old and they go, 'Whoa, this is incredible,' and grow up to do extreme sports. It's the same for me with acting.

I don't think one should be comfortable standing on a stage with people applauding and laughing at every stupid thing you say.

Might I be ridiculous? Might my career in music be laughable? Yeah, that's possible, but that's certainly not my intention.