Joaquin Phoenix
I know if I'm lost in the moment or not.
I don't bring my life into a character at all.
With public figures involved in a relationship it seems that there is a machine behind their love so oftentimes.
Every movie soaks into you for a certain amount of time.
For me, I'd rather have an intense experience than not.
For me, I guess I'm the acting equivalent of somebody that jumps off buildings and parachutes.
Going out on a stage publicly and not knowing how people are going to react to you - once I experienced that, it made me feel much more comfortable about going into a scene.
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.
It takes nothing away from a human to be kind to an animal.Collection: Animal
Is it that your dream is unattainable or is it that you have the wrong dream?Collection: Dream
We are all animals of this planet. We are all creatures. And nonhuman animals experience pain sensations just like we do. They too are strong, intelligent, industrious, mobile, and evolutional. They too are capable of growth and adaptation. Like us, firsthand foremost, they are earthlings. And like us, they are surviving. Like us they also seek their own comfort rather than discomfort. And like us they express degrees of emotion. In short like us, they are alive.Collection: Strong
The less someone knows about me, the better, because my intention is to play a variety of characters.Collection: Character
I don't believe in god. I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't believe in soul. I don't believe in anything. I think it's totally right for people to have their own beliefs if it makes them happy, but to me it's a pretty preposterous idea.Collection: Believe
I like working all the time. I hate taking breaks. I don't like the weekends.Collection: Hate
Do I have a large frog in my hair? I have the sensation that something is eating my brain.Collection: Hair
There is no need for fur - since there are compassionate alternatives.Collection: Needs
As a nation, this is the moment to start seriously investing our time, energy and resources into proven methods of reducing violence, both within our nation as well as internationally. The cost of violence to our culture and our children is simply not sustainable.Collection: Children
For as long as I've been making movies, I really don't know a lot of the technical side. I mean, I've actively and consciously tried to avoid learning that stuff. I just want to be open and receptive to what's happening in the moment, and I don't want to force anything.Collection: Mean
I'm like the kid that crams for tests and never remembers anything.Collection: Kids
They tell you to memorize your lines, follow your light, and hit your marks. Those are the three things that you shouldn't do. You should not learn your lines, you should not hit your mark, and you should never follow your light. Find your light - that's my opinion. Everyone else will tell me I'm wrong, but that's my opinion.Collection: Light
I'm proud of my brother. I would never not want to be associated with him.Collection: Brother
There are kids who get on BMX bike when they are eight years old and they go,'Whoa, this is incredible,' and grow up to do extreme sports. It is the same for me with acting.Collection: Sports
My dissatisfaction with acting has nothing to do with being uncomfortable or vulnerable or feeling like people are going to criticize me. That's not the problem.Collection: People
That to me was really, certainly, the gateway into discovering John, ... I feel I found the speaking voice through the singing voice.Collection: Voice
I've never made $20 million. I'm scared. I don't know if you gave me The Ring if I could carry it and bring it to Ozamorph, or whatever you call it.Collection: Scared
There are certain aspects of acting that I don't like. I'm not a person who loves being on set. I mean, I know people that have their espresso machines in their trailers and they like being in there and they put pictures on walls. But I don't like it. I don't like sitting around.Collection: Wall
I still have a hard time saying who Johnny [ Cash ] is in one sentence. He seemed so contradictory in his actions, and I think that's probably what is most fascinating about him and what made him such an interesting character to study.Collection: Character
I've been prepping for my role as Medusa.Collection: Medusa
My personal life absolutely goes down the drain when I start working; that's something that I'm incapable of doing.Collection: Drains
I love scripts about relationships, and I love to see puppy love evolving into this mature love and communication.Collection: Communication
The footage that you're about to watch of China's dog-leather trade is one of the worst things I've ever seen.Collection: Dog
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.Collection: Song
I don't know a single person in life that doesn't have conflict. I don't really enjoy acting enough to not want to experience something that feels like it really affects things. It's like, if you were a surfer, would you want to surf where there was like two-foot waves, or would you want to surf on like ten-foot waves. To me, the more kind of dramatic stories are more exciting for me, to play with.Collection: Play
Together, we can make a U.S. Department of Peace into a reality, and leave a gift of peace for generations to come.Collection: Reality
Getting into the character is difficult and letting go of your life and the things that kind of define you, whatever it is in life that's your daily routine because you sort of find yourself in this other life and that's difficult and the other end is difficult.Collection: Letting Go
I love doing the music. I love programming beats and kind of working on the music as much, if not more, than the actual rapping.Collection: Rap
I'm very thankful for the people that I've had the opportunity to work with. I have a good life. It's been amazing. I'm not complaining. It's not like acting has ruined me so I have to leave. It's not that. I'm just done with it.Collection: Good Life
Animal rights is a part of my everyday life. When you live by example, you create a certain level of awareness. Friends of mine - people I have never discussed animal rights or vegetarianism with - are adopting vegetarian habits because they see it.Collection: Animal
I do like to collaborate, and I like hearing other people, and I like how somebody's performance will affect my own.Collection: People
I like being an employee. I like making somebody happy - and if they're not, then I'm crushed.Collection: Employee
I've been in clubs. I don't like being in an enclosed place with really loud music, and a lot of drunk people. It's not my idea of a good time. It's just such a miserable life.Collection: Ideas
I don't have the slightest desire to speak over my dead brother. It gets on my nerves to always be compared with him. My brother was a magnificent person and an outstanding actor.Collection: Brother
I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one fish was caught, he was writhing, then he was thrown against the side of the boat. You couldn't disguise what it was. This was what we did to animals to eat them. The animal went from a living, vibrant creature fighting for life to a violent death. I recognized it, as did my brothers and sisters.Collection: Brother
I enjoy writing rhymes and sitting alone in a room listening to beats. It's pretty amazing.Collection: Writing
I'm going to sound a little weird here, but I like to spend a lot of time on my own in the woods. I don't exactly sneak off in the middle of the night, but I like to be in a place where no one can reach me by phone or e-mail.Collection: Night
Every single movie that I've ever done has affected my life; I always feel more changed by a character than I affect them or change them, always. I mean, that's just kind of the way it is.Collection: Character
How can you work in film and still see the overt racism that exists in film and not just be furious all the time?Collection: Racism
The offers were, like, a lot of money - maybe not for other actors, but definitely for me. But I don't want that power. I don't want $20-million power.Collection: Actors