Joaquin Phoenix quits acting

[Paxton]

Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix is retiring from Hollywood at the age of 34.

The "Walk The Line" star announced his plans to move away from acting at a fundraiser for late actor Paul Newman's children's charity on Monday.

Phoenix will instead focus on his music career.

He told Extra, "I want to take this opportunity... also to give you the exclusive and just talk a little bit about the fact that this will be my last performance as an actor... I'm not doing films anymore. I'm working on my music. I'm done. I've been through that."

And the news has been confirmed by his representative, who says, "That is what he told me."

Phoenix's brother-in-law Casey Affleck, who is married to Summer Phoenix, insists the star is for real: "I don't think he's kidding. He's got music and stuff."

Phoenix has made just one movie this year - romantic drama "Two Lovers" with Gwyneth Paltrow.

His vocal skills were applauded in 2005 when he recorded the soundtrack for the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk The Line". His efforts won him a Grammy award, and he is now working on an album with British rocker Tim Burgess from The Charlatans.


Link to the story: http://www.imdb.com/news/ns0000002/#ni0593300

 

[Ohiospeedo]

That's dumb...he will be back.

 

[falconfan]

Why do all these actors think they're musicians?

 

[Paxton]

Why do all these actors think they're musicians?

Maybe the Grammy Award he won for the "Walk the line" soundtrack persuaded him to make this bold career move.

I would like to see him trying both things at once, but it looks like he's really tired of the movie business.

 

[falconfan]

Maybe the Grammy Award he won for the "Walk the line" soundtrack persuaded him to make this bold career move.

I would like to see him trying both things at once, but it looks like he's really tired of the movie business.

People who have won Grammies: Brittney Spears, Starland Vocal Band, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Amy Winehouse, Milli Vanill... etc

People who haven't won Grammies: Jimmie Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Sammy Davis Jr., Led Zeppelin... etc

So clearly a Grammy isn't a marker of who is and isn't a musician.

I should note that both Led Zepplen and Sammy Davis Jr. were given "lifetime achievement awards" but I personally find that to be very different than winning an award and therefore put them in the no Grammy category.

 

[racer2438]

he's done with movies until the money runs out............

 

[Wtrain]

He'll be back.

 

[Paxton]

People who have won Grammies: Brittney Spears, Starland Vocal Band, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Amy Winehouse, Milli Vanill... etc

People who haven't won Grammies: Jimmie Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Sammy Davis Jr., Led Zeppelin... etc

So clearly a Grammy isn't a marker of who is and isn't a musician.

Couldn't agree more with you on this, Falconfan.

I was just trying to find a reasonable explanation to his unexpected career move, but in no way I was justifying his decition.

Lve

 

[evilest]

A dumb and attention seeking move there.

 

[Paxton]

Oh btw, when I said Winehouse should have won all the top categories, I meant considering what was nominated. She was pretty much the only decent thing in most of those categories.

Bravo!

I'm backing you up a 100% on this, Nik2.

 

[G-Lexington]

>>>Hancock is of course a great musician, but his recent style fluctuation and outputs have been nothing like his sterling years: any rudimentary knowledge of classic music and jazz would show that his brand of what's called "smooth jazz" may be smooth, but it sure ain't jazz.

Of course it wasn't jazz - it was Joni Mitchell songs. And really good ones, I thought. No, it won't ever touch Maiden Voyage or Head Hunters, but I thought it was really good. (Possibilities? That stunk.)

Re: JP quitting acting - really, why? Why does everything have to be a "production"? Can't he just say, "I'm going to focus on my music for awhile"?

Oh, right, because then this thread wouldn't be here.

Lex

 

[falconfan]

Why? Because Winehouse has a truculent personal life?

LOL Honey, did you look at the list of people I said SHOULD have a Grammies? I clearly don't give a shit about heavy drug use and other social factors. In all honesty, given current industry standards and the fact that Winehouse can barely stand up straight I kind of just assumed she wasn't the creative force behind her own music, which is more often the case now a days. If that assumption was erroneous than more power to her.

You seriously need to branch out beyond Kelly Clarkson. LOL.

Oh you leave Kelly alone. It's not like I listed her as an artist who SHOULD have won. She's got a hell of a voice and enough artistic drive to fight to write and perform her own music which is respectable. Not to mention she managed to rebound from "From Justin to Kelly" (A task I thought to be completely impossible). Besides I will maintain til the day I die that Kelly Clarkson is that artist that everyone secretly likes but is embarassed about liking... you know like Journey but for our generation. And by that I mean my generation old man

 

[falconfan]

I like Kelly Clarkson but she is an extremely talented vocalist, not a musician and certainly not an artist.

I'm not saying the girl is Mozart but she insists on writing her own music as much as possible and a lot of them are good songs. She does particularly well with things that are obviously personal to her, like "Because of You" which is a clear statement about her struggles coping with her parents divorce. And every time I listen to "Never Again" I can't help but note how well that song doubles as being about the dissolution of a closeted homosexual relationship (Although the opening lines are sung to the male (yet wishing ill on the female) the song switches to addressing the female and then moves to a rather ambiguous "you" as Kelly hurls out the real cutting remarks and insists that she will always know that the "you" is lying to the world. The song also shows disdain for both the need to represent typical family structure and religious moralities.) Of course the song also very easily fits a jilted mistress so maybe it's my own personal bias.

At the end of the day she may not be an "artist" but she knows how to make good music and has the balls to overlook commercial success, fight for something she believes in, and speak her mind. So I say my dear that even if she's not an "artist" she is at least a musician.


Also to bring us back OT Joaquin Phoenix is still boring and I still don't care about him leaving movies nor do I think will others.

 

[JB1986]

I like Joaquin Phoenix, so this kind of stinks. However, I think it will be temporary. The only actor who became a truly successful singer recently was Jennifer Lopez (if you call her a singer. Personally I do not.) I think he'll be back soon enough.

 

[G-Lexington]

>>>he intended it to be jazz.

I don't agree. Unless "Tell Everybody", "Rockit" and "Lite Me Up!" were "intended to be jazz" as well. But I won't belabor the point.

Lex

 

[Paxton]

I think he's a fantastic actor. That role in Gladiator alone - one of the best performances by a male actor I've ever seen!

Add to that list his Academy nominee role in "Walk the line" and his widely ignored, but electrifying performance in "Quills".

 

[grantt]

Remember, peopel, his last name is Phoenix. They follow a different drummer. His paretns were free spirits......look at his brother, River. This does not surprize me. It is a loss to the movies. He is a talent and I wish he would have won the oscar for "Walk the Line". That was genius work.

 

[Just_Believe18]

I guess he took not winning the Oscar that seriously.

 

[lurker]

LOL, no one ever really "quits" making movies.

He'll be back. Seriously. It might be in a more "musical" role or whatever, but he'll be back.