If you’re a fan of Joaquin Phoenix, or someone who follows Hollywood at all, you’re probably aware that the man hasn’t led a happy or particularly normal existence since the very beginning.
That said, you might not be aware of how deep the dysfunction goes, or the details that really make you wonder how he’s come out as well as he had.
If you’re curious what turns a man into a legend that can create a character like the Joker, you’re in luck – we’ve got 10 of the sad truths about Joaquin Phoenix’s past coming up.
10. Greed prevented his sister from releasing an album to cope with her pain.
Image Credit: oliviasloan
The Phoenix kids grew up playing music together, and as teenagers, Rain and River formed a band called Aleka’s Attic. They snagged a major record deal in the 90s and recorded their debut album, and even after River’s death, Rain told The Guardian that she hoped to release it and donate the proceeds to charity.
“I wanted to put the record out and give the money to charities my brother felt strongly about, but I came up against some of the musicians who also played on it, wanting a lot of money for it, so I shelved it.
It was meant to be something that was really beautiful, not about money.
I was very happy with the way I finished it, and I love the music.
I hope that one day I can release it.”
I hope so, too.
9. His family never knew River was famous.
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures
In January of 2020, Phoenix said on 60 Minutes that his family was “so removed from kind of the entertainment world” that they hadn’t known how famous River had become” – a fact that made the sensation of his death even harder to bear.
“River was a really substantial actor and movie star, and we didn’t really know it. …There are helicopters flying over.
There are people that are trying to sneak onto your land. It felt like it impeded on the mourning process.”
His parents are still grieving, as any would be after the loss of a child.
8. His family was extremely poor.
Image Credit: Warner Bros.
They lived in a commune when the children were small, and Joaquin’s father, John Bottom, was part of the hierarchy of a cult.
The family lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and lived on the street begging for change, then resettled in Caracas, Venezuela.
There they also lived in poverty while preaching the cult’s message, their residence an infested slum that had no toilet.
7. The kids sang on street corners for money.
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
The cult the family was part of, The Children of God, did not pay their missionaries.
As the family followed the leader across the Americas, the kids became street performers, busking for money.
They were all talented singers.
6. He nearly died in a car accident.
Image Credit: Gorup de Besanez
In January of 2006, Joaquin Phoenix ran off the road in the Hollywood Hills.
His car rolled off a cliff, leaving him injured and disoriented.
Luckily, director Werner Herzog was in the car behind him and saw the whole thing.
He helped pull Phoenix from the wreckage and then stopped him from lighting a cigarette near loose gasoline, probably saving his life.
5. Joaquin entered rehab for alcoholism after filming Walk the Line.
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox
The Phoenix family has a history of struggling with addiction,and even before his brother River died from a heroin overdose their father, John, struggled with alcoholism.
In 2005, Joaquin entered rehab for the same trouble.
“It was while filming Walk the Line that I became aware of my drinking.
I wasn’t an everyday drinker, but I didn’t have anything else to do, anything to hold me down.
I was leaning on alcohol to make me feel OK. That’s what it really was.”
Good for you, pal!
4. That mockumentary, though…
Image Credit: Magnolia Pictures
The movie was hard to shop for many reasons, from Joaquin’s onscreen drug use and oral s^x to his verbal abuse of his assistants, with some reporting that buyers were completely aghast.
“Several buyers said the film overflowed with Hollywood debauchery, including more male frontal nudity than you’d find in some gay p*rn films and a stomach-turning sequence in which someone feuding with Phoenix defecates on the actor while he’s asleep.”
Yeah, I’m glad I skipped that one.
3. The family was part of a cult that was abusive to children.
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox
The cult the family was a part of was a s^x cult known as Children of God, and the exposure to s^xual behavior at young ages damaged their children in many ways.
River Phoenix told his biographer about his experiences in it, and you’ll need a strong stomach to read about them, to be honest.
“Children as young as three were encouraged to ‘play’ sexually with their parents and other adults…
But even greater emphasis was put on the children stimulating each other; they could pair off for sexual exploration at night, after prayers but before bed.”
River Phoenix reportedly regretted his s^xual experiences there, which began with other children by the age of 4.
2. His older brother struggled with drugs.
Image Credit: Mike Dillon
River Phoenix, Joaquin’s older brother, overdosed outside of the Viper Room when he was young and at the pinnacle of his fame. He reportedly first experimented with marijuana on the set of Stand by Me, but unlike fellow actor Corey Feldman, Phoenix’s drug use quickly spiraled out of control.
Bob Forrest, former frontman of Thelonious Monster and a close friend of River’s, talked about their daily drug habits.
“The drug routine stayed pretty consistent for all of us.
First, smoke crack or shoot coke directly into a vein for that ninety-second, electric brain-bell jangle.
Then shoot heroin to get a grip and come down enough to be able to carry on a conversation for a few minutes before you start the cycle again.”
Yikes!
1. Joaquin was there when his brother overdosed.
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox
On that fateful night in 1993, Joaquin and his sister Rain were both at the Viper Room in Los Angeles with their brother when he overdosed.
He reportedly knew something was wrong, and it was 19-year-old Joaquin who made the 9-1-1 call while Rain sat on her brother’s chest in an attempt to control his seizures.
It just breaks your heart to think about how young they all were – river was just 23.
Really makes you realize what a strong person he is, inside where it counts.
If you know more about his past, share the details with us in the comments.
