Posted on 02/10/2020 1:28:40 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix accepted the Best Actor award at the Oscars for his role in Joker in a rambling speech that referenced cow insemination and condemned cancel culture.
Phoenix began his speech saying, “I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the distressing issues we are facing collectively and I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes. But for me I see commonality.”
He continued, “I think whether we are talking about gender inequality, or racism, or queer rights, or indigenous rights, or animal rights, we are talking about the fight against injustice. We are talking about the fight against the belief that one nation, one race, one gender, or one species has the right to dominate to control and use another with impunity.”
The Joker actor added, “I think that we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. And many of us what we are guilty of is an egocentric world view, the belief that we are the center of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources.”
Phoenix then discussed artificially inseminating a cow, “We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth we steal her baby even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”
He continued, “And I think we fear the idea of personal change because we think that we have to sacrifice something to give something up. But human beings at our best are so inventive, and creative, and ingenious. And I think that when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles we can create, develop, and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and the environment.”
Phoenix then admitted he was no saint, “Now, I have been a scoundrel in my life. I have been selfish. I have been cruel at times, hard to work with, and ungrateful. But so many of you in this room have given me a second chance.”
He then stated that humanity needs to focus on giving people second chances rather than canceling people for their mistakes, “And I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we support each, not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow, when we educate to each other, when we guide each other to redemption. That is the best of humanity.”
Phoenix then concluded, “When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric, he said, ‘Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.’ Thank you.”
Joaquin Phoenix previously used his Best Actor at the BAFTA Awards to accuse the ceremony of racism saying, “I think that we send a very clear message to people of color that you’re not welcome here. I think that’s the message that we are sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry, and in ways that we benefit from.”
He added, “I don’t think anybody wants a handout or preferential treatment, although that’s what we give ourselves every year. People just want to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected for their work. This is not a self-righteous condemnation because I’m ashamed to say I’m part of the problem. I have not done everything in my power to ensure the sets I work on are inclusive.”
At the Golden Globes, Phoenix mocked the idea of award shows saying, “We all know there is no f****** best actor. It’s like this thing that is created to sell advertisements for the TV show.”
He would also use his Golden Globes speech to chide his peers on their lifestyles, “But, I think, together hopefully we can be unified and actually make some changes. It’s great to vote, but sometimes we have to take that responsibility on ourselves and make changes and sacrifices in our own lives, and I hope that we can do that.”
He added, “We don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs for the Awards sometimes or back. Please. I will try to do better and I hope you will too.”
What do you make of Phoenix’s Oscars speech?
I really like his acting but the second he started up with the cow crap, I was yelling STFU AND ACT! at the TV.
The award he got is actually NOT “Best Actor”. he is correct that there is no such thing.
His award was for “Best PERFORMANCE by an actor in a motion picture in 2019”
“So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a political platform to make a political speech,” he said. “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything, you know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So, if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your God and eff-off. OK?”
I remember hearing about that after the fact. I guess his producers weren’t too happy with his plethora of dead air since he was there to promote his latest movie that their funds made possible.
Saw a Tonight Show guest hosted by Orson Welles. He had some actress as a guest, and she was either out of it, or played hookey during the impromptu acting classes, because she pulled a Phoenix a generation before Phoenix.
She must have really needed a script.
Welles went to telling stories related to whatever she was on to promote to fill the dead air.
Well, nobody’s posted his unforgettable Letterman interview yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maBjr0yPfu4
I was not impressed with the movie. That version of Joker had no skills at all. He couldn’t fight. He couldn’t plan. All he had was insanity and luck (mostly bad luck). That’s just a sad psycho, not a supervillain who might some day be worthy of facing Batman. That said, the actor did exactly what it looks like the director wanted from him; it just was not in any way interesting to me.
“..produce more milk than their calves need.”
Yep, and if they’re not milked, the udders become very painfully engorged, and can bleed and burst if not stanched by an infusion of certain hormones to force the pressure-releasing “let down” reflex, which allows the milk to ooze out.
This is not only true of cows but also of human females.
Please don’t ask me how I know. :-)
He is a nut and the Joker part called for a nut. It was the perfect role all the way around. So ofciurse he played the part perfectly because it didn’t require much acting on his part.
Yes I know that lactating cows can become very sick if not regularly milked. And I know women can leak for the same reason. You can ask me how I know this, but you probably don’t need to.
Dude’s probably just getting footage for “I’m Still Here - Part 2”
That was a bit for a fake documentary him and Casey Affleck were filming.
“He’s kind of like Andy Kaufman: it’s a joke only he is really in on.”
Yep, pretty much. He was filming a totally absurd fake documentary at the time so he was “in character” during the interview, but the problem was that he didn’t tell Letterman or anyone else that until like 6 months later when the film was coming out, so everyone thought he was nuts.
I watched the movie, it was hit-or-miss. There were some really hilarious parts, and some really cringey parts, but yeah, very Kaufman-esque.
“But does he acknowledge anyone but himself?”
Well, to be fair, he already has one Best Actor award, so he probably got all that out of the way when he gave the first acceptance speech.
“the blind item links to the Afflecks..so could have been a drunk Ben Affleck who said MOOO.”
Phoenix is best friends with Casey Affleck, Ben’s younger brother.
And Julie Newmar will always be Catwoman (although I met Eartha Kitt, and she was purrrfect face-to-face).
well...i did say I suck at guessing..will be interesting to see who people guess it is once Ace releases the comments. There are always clues..but I never get them.
What’s amazing though, is that this may be the only time a movie character has won an Oscar twice (Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix).
I feel like I’m reading Heart of Darkness.
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