“So many mistakes”: Joaquin Phoenix refuses to watch the 1995 performance that launched his career
Joaquin Phoenix says he cannot watch his breakthrough performance in *To Die For* without focusing on what he believes he did wrong. The 1995 film helped launch his career, making his discomfort with revisiting it a revealing contrast with its critical success.
Phoenix played Jimmy Emmett, a teenager drawn into the schemes of Nicole Kidman’s attention-seeking TV presenter. Directed by Gus Van Sant, the film also starred Matt Dillon and Casey Affleck; in a 1998 interview, Phoenix said he saw “so many mistakes” in his performance and thought of things he should have done differently. He later became an Oscar-winning leading actor, known for roles including Johnny Cash and the Joker.
In short
- Phoenix avoids watching his breakthrough film, *To Die For*.
- He said he sees many mistakes in his 1995 performance.
- The role preceded his rise to Oscar-winning stardom.
Explained simply
To Die For is a 1995 film directed by Gus Van Sant. It stars Nicole Kidman as a television presenter who draws a teenager, played by Joaquin Phoenix, into her plans; Matt Dillon and Casey Affleck also appear.
The film was an early turning point in Phoenix’s acting career. He later became an Oscar-winning leading actor, with roles including singer Johnny Cash and the Joker. His view of the film offers a contrast between its critical success and his own tendency to focus on what he thinks he could have done differently.