Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix: I found myself feeling for Arthur Fleck

Joaquin Phoenix starrer Joker has been criticised for its alleged glorification of a murderer and many say it is a quasi-endorsement, however unintentional, of mass murders by loners who feel wronged by the society.

Joker has hit screens in India.

Joaquin Phoenix starrer Joker is a peculiar comic-book movie. It eschews high budget and CGI spectacle to focus on a single character and its descent into darkness. The film, a Todd Phillips directorial, has been criticised for its alleged glorification of a murderer and many say it is a quasi-endorsement, however unintentional, of mass murders by loners who feel wronged by the society.

Phoenix admits that he found himself getting attached to the character. “There were times when I found myself feeling for him, even feeling like I understood his motivation, and in the next moment, I would be repulsed by the decisions he made,” he said.

Robert De Niro and Joaquin Phoenix in a still from Joker.

“Playing this character was challenging for me as an actor, and I knew he would also challenge the audience and their preconceived ideas about the Joker, because in his fictional world, like in our real world, there are no easy answers,” Phoenix added.

Director Todd Phillips says he wrote the role keeping Phoenix in mind. “Joaquin’s previous work always stuck with me, but what I really like about him is his style and his unpredictability, which we felt would very much fit into this character.”

Joaquin Phoenix as Joker.

He added, “While other people are doing math, Joaquin is playing jazz. He’s just one of the greatest, he’s fearless; his work is brave and vulnerable, and I thought if we could get him, we could really do something special.”

Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Marc Maron, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, and Brian Tyree Henry make up the supporting cast of Joker.

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