Joaquin Phoenix Quotes (51 Quotes)

I don't know how it turned out, ... No, of course I care. I hope we captured the story authentically. But what keeps me acting is not the end result but the process. And I was very satisfied with the process.

I think that when John started out, he had the desire to be a voice on the radio, but he didn't anticipate a grueling tour schedule and all that. I don't think he necessarily wanted to play live. I had a book listing the gigs that they played back then, and it was unbelievable. In the late '60s he was still driving to concerts himself.

It was quite dynamic, actually, his voice. I thought, well, his voice is fairly simple, and it was in some respects. But a song like 'Walk the Line,' for instance, one thing he did is change keys. That song, every verse changes keys.

He was strumming the guitar but he wouldn't sing, ... And he said, 'I'm waiting for June to get my nerve up.' I thought, 'How is Johnny Cash waiting for anybody to get his nerve up' But he really needed her. ... They both were incomplete in some ways and when they were brought together, they felt completed.

When I heard that James Mangold was directing a movie about the life of Johnny Cash, I wanted to do it without even reading the script. I just had a really good feeling about it, and I liked the idea of playing such a complex man who led an incredibly rich life.

Im not a singer by any means. If it was a fictional character where it was a made-up voice, it might have been harder. But I had a specific voice to go after, so I had to work specific muscles and really work at hitting certain notes. It was nice to have a recognizable voice as a goal.

I'm shocked when I don't get fired, so to get a nomination is a pleasant surprise.

It's more of a statement film and kind of a cynical statement at that. It explores the idea that war is inherent in man, and there's a seeming desire for conflict. It could be applied to any situation and any military.

I'm kind of cynical about married people or couples singing together. I've seen it manipulated too many times, ... But it was truly magical when they did it. They just looked into each other's eyes and he'd soften.

The expectation is this low, gravelly voice for John, but I went through his early recordings and there were songs in there where the voice was so different, I wasn't even sure if it was him singing, ... So it was interesting to me that we would see him develop the Man in Black sound. I thought it was really important that his voice change as his persona slowly solidified. The music was really the doorway into the character.

When I go out with the ladies, I don't force them to pronounce my name. I tell them I like to go by the nickname of Kitten.

That to me was really, certainly, the gateway into discovering John, ... I feel I found the speaking voice through the singing voice.

What was nice for me was not knowing anything about music and not being a singer or player and kind of discovering what that was like instead of having a set way of doing things.

The hope, ... was that we could sing.

John had been a big fan of Gladiator and he invited me to dinner. It was magical, and then again it was just people sitting around having food. There were six or eight people there, all family. Everyone said grace, and we had the meal. Then we went into the living room and John picked up his guitar. You know, John didn't make small talk.

No, I don't want to talk about River. I have nothing to say about it that I would want to be public.

What the training did was teach me to trust my equipment and trust the other people that I'm working with, ... The firefighters will say, 'You should always be scared. If you're not scared then you should get out of the department because that's when you get hurt.' You have to have a level of fear and a level of respect for what it is you're doing, and if not, I think it breads a level of complacency, which is very dangerous.

There's really nothing I can do about that. My work is to just make the film and try to make it as true as possible.

It's a little premature to be doing an interview, considering we probably won't make the day's scheduled shots,

I thought, he feels more comfortable with the guitar, and he just started strumming. It was amazing. It was like a brand new body, suddenly. I've never seen anything like that.

I've made up so many stores about my name, I can't remember.

You learn so much about him through his lyrics. He conveys so much with just a few lines. That was the gateway into discovering John. I feel like I found the speaking voice through the singing voice and really learned a lot about him through his music.

I don't know if you've noticed but I've messed up like 40 times. I'm all over the place.

James told me, ... If people want to hear Johnny Cash, they can go get the record. There was such soul to his music, it seems he was compelled to tell a story. John had something to say that really came from the heart.

When I first read this script, I wasn't thinking this is a critique of the U.S. military. I don't really think the movie is critical of anything.

That song, every verse changes keys. ... I Walk the Line.

I was excited by how heavily involved Jim Mangold had been with John in writing the script and how Jim was determined to get it right. That really meant a lot. It took some of the pressure off, because John was someone whose integrity you could always sense. People appreciated John's genuineness.

Not just trying to pull off a distinctive voice, which was huge. But the story takes place over so many years it's a big story. And, also, finding a balance between impersonation and actually becoming someone appealed to me.

It was magical to be able to explore the young Johnny Cash and his music. But you worry about people's expectations. There's a concern about people saying, 'Well, that's not Johnny Cash'.

It's hard for me to put my feelings into words.

I'm not John. I don't have that voice. ... Walk the Line.

I didn't make a decision and say, 'I'm gonna sing.' It was, in some sense, 'Let's see what's gonna happen. Let's try this, let's work on this, and we'll see how it goes.'

That was Johnny Cash. He was a complete person. He acknowledged the darker side of his mind. He didn't try to deny it. Most of us are forced into labeling ourselves or others, but that's something John wouldn't do. This is a man who sang, 'I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die,' on 'Folsom Prison Blues,' and then would revel in singing the spirituals and would, in fact, leave Sun Records because Sam Phillips wouldn't let him record an album of gospel songs.

He was an amazing man. He really ended up being the voice of the voiceless, the people that many would just as soon forget about or pretend they don't exist. John spoke up for them. He spoke from the heart with sheer honesty. He seemed to have no regrets, and that's unique, especially nowadays with celebrities, when everyone's so concerned about their image and saying the right thing to maintain their following. John said what he felt regardless of whether it was popular or not.

No, but I feel it. I'm not worried about the looks. I'm worried about the sensation of my brain being eaten. ... What did you ask me

Who would ever have thought that I would win in the comedy or musical category Not expected.

It was terrifying at times. One of my first fires I went into at the academy -- and this was controlled fire by the way, this was with two instructors on every floor -- I still panicked and called out 'mayday' right in the middle of the fire,

John believed in the power of redemption and offered his unique gift to anyone who needed to find it within them, and in the process, he inspired millions. I can think of no greater way to honor him than to carry on his legacy of using music to connect to all people.

Because of all the scenes of him writing songs, it wouldn't work to have me singing the lines while he's writing, and then have his voice come out later onstage,

I went out and bought every album I could, ... It was interesting to get his early music and hear how an artist develops. And I found the music was the gateway to Johnny. I found his speaking voice through his singing voice.

I becan acting when River was doing this TV series and they needed two kids for the show, so they got me and my little sister, Summer, to do it. After that I did some really weird guest spots with orangutans and stuff.

I'm terrible at metaphors or analogies. I don't know the difference, actually, ... For me, acting is like your dad teaching you to ride a bicycle. You feel totally vulnerable at first. You imagine yourself getting hurt, and the only thing that prevents you from crashing is your dad is running after you, holding on to the back of your seat. You keep looking over your shoulder at him, and he's going, 'You're doing it, kid.' And then, all of a sudden, you're, like, 'Why are you still holding on, Dad Let go.'

John was a storyteller, ... He wasn't very metaphorical, he wasn't really abstract.

You know, the press has kind of imposed upon me the title of Mourning Brother, and because I haven't been vocal about it, the assumption is that I'm holding onto this (stuff) that's just not there.

My significant other right now is myself, which is what happens when you suffer from multiple personality disorder and self-obsession.

When Mangold chose Phoenix for the part, I bought a guitar, ... John always had a guitar. He'd come offstage and there's footage of him sitting around talking to fans and he'll pick up a guitar and just start playing it.

Who would have ever thought I would win in the comedy and musical category

I went to have dinner at their house before I even heard about the movie. We were in their living room and John just started strumming. He said he was waiting for June before he could get his nerve up. And I thought, 'Wow, this is Johnny Cash waiting to get his nerve up. This guy has played prisons and he's nervous.' Then June came in and they started singing On the Banks of the River Jordan and they're looking into each other's eyes, and the connection and love they had was palpable.

They will watch the evening news, see the bloodshed, and will go back to dinner,

I didn't know much about him, and I wasn't a big country music fan. I listened to the Beatles and David Bowie, so I didn't know a lot about him.