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His performance was very well-received, but Joaquin decided to withdraw from acting for a while-he was frustrated with the dearth of interesting roles for actors his age, and he wanted to see more of the world. As it happened, Universal Pictures had just opened a new studio in the area and he was cast almost immediately as an angst-ridden adolescent in Parenthood (1989). River's film career had enough momentum to sustain the move, but Joaquin wasn't sure what lay in store for him in the Sunshine State. In the late '80s, the Phoenix clan decided to pull up stakes and relocate again-this time to Florida. He made his big-screen debut as the youngest crew member in the interstellar romp SpaceCamp (1986), then won his first starring turn in the Cold War-era drama Russkies (1987). He worked with his brother again on the afterschool special Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia (1984), then struck out on his own in other made-for-TV productions. Joaquin's first real acting gig was a guest appearance on River's sitcom, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982). Commercials for meat, milk, and junk food were off-limits (the kids were all raised as strict vegans), but they managed to find plenty of work pushing other products. They eventually found an agent who was willing to represent all five children, and the younger generation dove into television work. Arlyn found work as a secretary at NBC, and John turned his talents to landscaping. The family moved often, traveling through Central and South America (and adopting the surname 'Phoenix' to celebrate their new beginnings) but, by the time Joaquin was age 6, they had more or less settled in the Los Angeles area. Younger sisters Liberty Phoenix and Summer Phoenix rounded out the talented troupe. When the children were encouraged to develop their creative instincts, he followed their lead into acting. As a youngster, Joaquin took his cues from older siblings River Phoenix and Rain Phoenix, changing his name to Leaf to match their earthier monikers. His mother is from a Jewish family from New York, while his father, from California, is of mostly British Isles descent. His parents, from the continental United States, were then serving as Children of God missionaries. “My publicist said someone wants to give you an award, and I said, ‘I’m in.Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Arlyn (Dunetz) and John Bottom, and is the middle child in a brood of five. “I don’t know who’s really giving me this award.and frankly I don’t care,” Phoenix quipped.

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At the start, his speech was full of silly jokes, poking fun at the gala itself. Phoenix, whose next film is the hotly anticipated Joker, was on hand to accept the TIFF Tribute Actor Award, presented to him by Willem Dafoe. And I am indebted to him for that because acting has given me such an incredible life.” This is what you’re going to do.’ He didn’t ask me, he told me. And he said, ‘You’re going to start acting again. And the next day, he woke me up and he made me watch it again. “And he sat me down and made me watch it.

#River phoenix liberty phoenix movie#

“When I was 15 or 16, my brother River came home from work, and he had a VHS copy of a movie called Raging Bull,” Phoenix recalled during his speech, per Variety. In an emotional Monday night speech at the Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Gala, Phoenix paid homage to his late older brother, a star in the ’80s and ’90s who all but forced Joaquin to get serious about the business. If it wasn’t for River Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix might never have became an actor.