Joaquin Phoenix Wins Best Actor For Joker At The Academy Awards
by Erik Amaya
Capping off Joker’s award-winning run, actor Joaquin Phoenix earned a Best Actor trophy at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards Sunday night. “I have so much gratitude right now and I don’t not feel elevated above any of my nominees,” the actor said at the beginning of a heartfelt speech. “We share a love a film. I don’t know what I’d be without it,” he continued.
Unlike his Joker character, Arthur Fleck, Phoenix used the platform of the Oscar’s global audience to address current issues and use his voice to amplify the voiceless. “I’ve been thinking about the issues we’ve been facing collectively,” he said. “We’ve been made to feel we champion different causes. I see unity … we’re talking about the fight against injustice.”
“I think we’ve become disconnected from the natural world. We believe we’re the center of the universe. We plunder it for its resources,” he went on. “We fear the idea of personal change because we think we have to sacrifice. But when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles, we can build systems of change that are beneficial to sentient beings and all life on the planet.”
Admitting he has not always been the best person, Phoenix said, “We are at our best when we help each other to grow … and guide each other toward redemption” before quoting a lyric written by his brother River decades ago: “run to the rescue and peace will find you.”
Besides Phoenix, though, Joker was mostly shut-out as Bong Joon Ho took Best Director and Best Screenplay for Parasite. The film itself also won Best International Film and made history as the first foreign language film to win Best Picture. 1917 and Ford v. Ferrari took home most of the technical awards, but Joker composer Hildur Gudnadottir won for Best Score.
Nonetheless, Joker‘s great strength was Phoenix’s performance, which earned him acclaim throughout the award season. For the other winners, take a look at the full list of Oscar winners below:
Best Picture
Parasite
Directing
Bong Joon Ho,Parasite
Cinematography
Roger Deakins, 1917
Actor in a Leading Role
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Actress in a Leading Role
Renee Zellweger, Judy
Actor in a Supporting Role
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
Actress in a Supporting Role
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Original Screenplay
Parasite
Adapted Screenplay
Jojo Rabbit
International Feature Film
Parasite
Film Editing
Ford v. Ferrari
Documentary Feature
American Factory
Documentary Short Subject
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
Animated Feature Film
Toy Story 4
Animated Short Film
Hair Love
Live Action Short Film
The Neighbors’ Window
Production Design
Once Upon a Time Hollywood
Sound Editing
Ford v Ferrari
Sound Mixing
1917
Visual Effects
1917
Original Score
Joker
Makeup and Hairstyling
Bombshell
Costume Design
Little Women
Original Song
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again” Rocketman
