Joaquin Phoenix has just been awarded the honour of Outstanding Performance for his portrayal as Arthur Fleck in Joker at the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
But the award itself isnโt why weโre here today โ itโs his words that really caught our attention. Ever the humble soul, Phoenixโs speech was an absolute masterclass on how to be gracious.
Instead of milking the few minutes he had on the podium for personal glory, Phoenix took the time to praise each of his fellow nominees as well as their respective performances. And even slinging some playful banter at Leonardo DiCaprioโs direction vis-a-vis constantly losing roles to the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actor during the early days of their careers.
โThere would always be like two other guys that I was up against and weโd always lose to this one kid,โ says Phoenix.
โNo actor would ever say his name. Like every casting director would say, โItโs Leonardo, itโs Leonardo!โโฆ Youโve been an inspiration for over twenty-five years to me and so many people, I thank you very, very, very much.โ
Phoenix later went on to show his appreciation for Christian Baleโs commitment and inability to perform badly (โI wish you would, just one time, just suck once, OK?โ); Adam Driverโs nuanced, profound, and devastating mastery of emotions; as well as Taron Egertonโs โbeautifulโ performance as Elton John in Rocketman.
Watch the full acceptance speech above.
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