A living legend
Much like his chilling role in Joker, for Walk the Line, in order to portray the complex character of the late singer, Phoenix admitted he relied on drinking throughout the months of filming; he had developed a new lifestyle, one that included excessive drinking, and giving it up later was a bigger challenge than he’d expected.
Phoenix had tried to enter the mindset of the troubled musician, which had taken a toll on his personal life. After the production of the film had ended, Phoenix described feeling as if a part of him was gone: “you go into a space of not having routine to your day … not knowing what you’re going to say, and it’s like, who are you? What are you?”