Joaquin Phoenix is becoming quite excellent at this whole acceptance speech business.
For yet another year, the Oscars have come and gone.
There were some relatively big upsets, including Parasite taking home Best Picture in a very competitive field, but one category was only ever going to have one winner.
That category was Best Actor, and that winner was Joaquin Phoenix for his breathtaking performance in Joker.
The movie was massively praised, and despite a small section of people not being too keen, Phoenix’s performance was universally praised by those who saw the movie.
And he was rewarded for his performance with an Oscar for Best Actor.
In an emotional acceptance speech, Phoenix took on the meat industry, racism, sexism and other forms of prejudice.
Phoenix also seemed to call out ‘cancel culture’, saying:
“I’ve been cruel at times, hard to work with, and I’m grateful that so many of you in this room have given me a second chance.
“I think that’s when we’re at our best – when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for our past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow. When we educate each other; when we guide each other to redemption.”
Finally, Phoenix finished his speech with a reference to his deceased brother River, saying:
“When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said, ‘Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow.'”
River Phoenix starred in Stand By Me. He passed away in 1993 at the age of 23 following a drug overdose.
You can watch the speech in full below.
Actor Joaquin Phoenix gives emotional Best Actor acceptance speech for his performance in "Joker."#Oscarshttps://t.co/cm6hY14ce0 pic.twitter.com/AwOdzDvYXK
— ABC News (@ABC) February 10, 2020
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