Since his memorable performance in Joker, for which he won his first and much-deserved Academy Award, Joaquin Phoenix seems to be the most intriguing Hollywood figure. They say the best actors are the one who bring their own experiences into their roles, and perhaps Phoenix’s unsettling life story is what enables him to portray every role accurately. His notable roles in the critically acclaimed Her, Walk the Line and most recently Joker all have something in common: Phoenix’s breathes life to his characters of broken individuals.
Born into a cult
Joaquin Phoenix was born in 1974 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the third of five children, with older brother and sister River and Rain, and younger sisters Liberty and Summer. It’s no wonder that Joaquin would eventually find his way to the show business, as his brothers and sisters are all actors as well.
By the time Phoenix was born, his parents, Heart and John Bottom, were active members of a notorious cult called Children of God. Together with the cult and their four children at the time, they traveled throughout South America, moving from one community to the other. Three years later, Joaquin three years old at the time, John and Heart were finally disenchanted with the religious cult, when its methods had become too sinister for the couple.