Catching Up With the Newest Joker: Joaquin Phoenix
Peter Luger. Now that’s a name with some weight to it. It’s strong. It’s sturdy. It’s a steakhouse. And thank god for that. With a surname that elicits images of a pistol, this New York institution makes you feel like every meal you have there is a meeting of the mafioso minds. Peter Luger Steakhouse has been in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn for over 200 years. Things have sure changed since then.
Those 1887 patrons didn’t even have an L train to complain about (editor’s note: Greg did not come up with this quip. He overheard someone saying this while at Peter Luger Steakhouse and used it in his piece without giving the anonymous person credit). And as someone who got into the Iowa Writers Workshop but chose to leave early because of how cliquey everyone was, I find myself fascinated by the juxtaposition of a pillar of the old world standing strong in what is now the mecca of hipsterdom.
I chose to eat at Peter Luger Steakhouse because I am meeting Joaquin Phoenix. And if I’m being 100% honest, here’s my truth: Joaquin Phoenix is the only actor that we have who’s like Peter Luger Steakhouse. He’s an old soul of substance caught up in an ever-changing landscape that he doesn’t truly understand. But everyone adores him regardless.
The “indie” crowd went gaga over the vulnerability he showed in Spike Jonze’s Her. Douchebags loved to hate his portrayal of a corrupt ruler in Gladiator. And of course, everyone in between had no choice but to Walk The Line in support of his star-making role as Johnny Cash. If Joaquin Phoenix is the Peter Luger Steakhouse of acting, then Walk The Line is medium-rare steak I ordered for both of us before he arrives. It’s simple. But when you simple well, it’s the best.
Nothing is simple about his latest role, though. DC Comics just tapped the enigmatic actor to play the Joker. Phoenix will be channeling his inner agent of chaos when he brings to life the story of how the Arkham Asylum inmate rose to prominence. Todd Phillips will be writing and directing the movie, which is set to come out late next year.
After Heath Ledger’s tragic-yet-brilliant commitment into the role, audiences debated whether anyone should even try playing the Joker after him. But after seeing the genius of Jared Leto’s jaw-droppingly edgy Joker in Suicide Squad, everyone walked out of the theater begging for more of their favorite prince of crime.
As far as movie roles go, the Joker’s meal equivalent is the blowfish. If not prepared properly, someone can die from it. So now, the question on everyone’s mind is this: can Joaquin Phoenix, a steakhouse actor, play the Joker, a seafood role?
Phoenix showed up a half hour late. He fills the entire steakhouse with the scent of whiskey. Most interestingly, he’s still dressed in the Joker costume. His outfit consists of a red blazer, an orange vest, and a green dress shirt. His whole face has a template of white paint, with red paint around his eyebrows and lips and blue around each eye.
“Hey, it’s me, the Joker. I’m so serious, you jerks,” slurs Phoenix upon entry. One of the Peter Luger patrons sheepishly asks Phoenix if he meant to say “why so serious,” like in The Dark Knight. Distraught, Phoenix slouches down to the sitting man’s level. “Do you think I fucking care,” he asks. The man apologizes, but Phoenix slams the table emphatically. He keeps his face close to the stranger for another minute. I call him over. He shouts at me and tells me that I’m the cops. I assure him that I’m not. After a few more minutes of back and forth, he agrees to come over so we can start the interview.
The first question I have for Phoenix is whether he, a world-renowned steakhouse actor, would be able to play the ultimate seafood role that is the Joker. “What the fuck did you say,” he asked. It was clever of him to try turning the tables on the interviewer like that. But I’m the one asking the questions here.
I decide to move on since I have a lot more ground I want to cover. I ask him where he thinks his portrayal of the Joker fits into the #MeToo conversation. He burps louder than I ever imagined possible. Like a foghorn cutting through the night’s silence while you’re dancing with your best friend’s wife on a wharf. (Editor’s note: I was afraid to even ask about what the fuck that sentence was about, so I just let him keep it in).
Something isn’t right with the beloved Signs star. It’s palpable. I ask him if everything’s alright. Wincing, he takes out of a pair of chopsticks from his pant pocket and tries picking up the uncut steak with it. It doesn’t work. One of the chopsticks inevitably snaps in half. I was worried that this would be his undoing. But all things considered, he handled the chopstick breaking like an absolute pro. Another pair of chopsticks emerged from his pocket. Finally, Phoenix confides in me amidst his stick struggle, whispering, “this steak fucking sucks,” into my ear.
It’s difficult to tell whether or not Phoenix is still in character as the Joker. Previous Jokers like Jared Leto and the late Heath Ledger made the role their identity. And both wound up delivering Oscar-worthy performances because of such dedication. That’s why I would understand if that’s what Phoenix was doing. But he responds to both Joaquin and Joker. And he makes the differentiation even more complicated after telling me that working with The Batman has been a dream come true. First off, Batman is not an actor. Second, it’s likely that there will not be a Batman appearance in Phoenix’s Joker film. When I ask for him to clarify about comments on the caped crusader, he tells me he first met him on the set of We Own The Night.
A half hour into our conversation, a shirtless and frantic Jared Leto enters the steakhouse. He runs to Joaquin, grabbing his orange vest. “Joaquin, you’ve gotta stop doing this Joker movie, man,” pleads the My So-Called Life star. Leto doesn’t look well. The white paint and fake tattoos that made his Joker so iconic cover only half of his body. The other half looks charred, as though he’s slowly disintegrating.
“Ever since that fucking trailer came out, all this crazy shit’s been happening to me. Look, look at my hand!” Leto brings his hand up to Phoenix’s eye-level. It appears to be the body part most affected by the mysterious blackening. “There can’t be two Jokers going on at the same time, Joaquin. The universe simply can’t handle all that chaos.” Leto’s ring finger falls off and lands on Phoenix’s steak. For the infamous Late Show with David Letterman guest, this is the final straw.
Phoenix leaves Peter Luger Steakhouse. Both Leto and I follow him. I was able to slink into the cab hailed by Phoenix right before it drives off. Leto, however, wasn’t as lucky. He tried to hold the door open, but Phoenix slammed it with such force that it turned Leto’s hand into nothing but ashen flakes on the unforgiving pavement. Leto’s entire life is crumbling, like a man who just found out about his wife’s wharf date (Editor’s note: again. Not touching this).
The cab takes us to Legend’s Pub on Staten Island. And boy, are we not in Brooklyn anymore, Toto. A rat is visibly sleeping in the middle of the pool table. They’re playing around it out of deference to the rat. I look for a place to sit, but the bar’s only table is a fold-out with a plastic cover on it that says ‘Happy Birthday’ all across. It doesn’t appear as though it’s for anyone’s birthday. It’s just the only cover they have.
As soon as Phoenix enters, the bartender gives him a warm greeting. “You want the usual, Joker,” he asks. Phoenix takes a seat at the bar and nods affirmatively to the bartender’s question. The bartender pours a glass of Jack Daniel’s and puts a clown nose in it. Phoenix’s face lights up when the bartender slides the drink over to him. I ask the bartender how long he’s known Phoenix. “He’s come in every day for about a month now. Told me if I don’t call him Joker, he’ll wack my car with a sledgehammer a hundred times. I said ‘fine with me Joker,’ and he’s been my biggest customer ever since.”
It’s karaoke night at Legend’s Pub. A man is weeping as he belts out his rendition of ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra. Inspired, Phoenix starts thumbing through the songbook. He lets out a “hot mama” upon finding his desired song. I ask him what he picked. He doesn’t respond. Instead, he blows his nose into the clown nose from his drink and puts it into my vodka soda. The daring nature of that move leaves me captivated to this day.
The song he chose was ‘Ring of Fire’ by Johnny Cash. I was enthralled. But again, the separation between Joaquin and the Joker proved to be unclear. It was obvious he wanted people to think that their karaoke night was now part of some sinister Joker plot. But he also appeared desperate for them to recognize him beneath all the paint. He wanted them to realize he was treating them to THE Joaquin Phoenix reliving his Oscar-nominated performance as Johnny Cash in some seedy Staten Island dive bar. But alas, they couldn’t handle such epicness.
The banter he made with the audience before the lyrics kicked in shed light on these conflicting desires. “Oh hey, fartbags, remember when I — I mean, remember when that other fartbag Joaquin Phoenix did this song in a big-time Hollywood movie?” Nobody was paying attention. And he didn’t give them much reason to pay attention, seeing how he forgot nearly every word. I thought what he did up there was brilliant. A scathing critique of American consumption that went over everyone else’s heads.
As the song ended, he thanked everyone in attendance at Legend’s that night. “You guys are like family to me,” he told them. They politely ‘awwed’ and clapped. Finally, some momentum. It was at that precise moment Joaquin decided to go full joker. “Now let’s go out there and blow up that fucking hospital!” One guy started cheering at this call to arms. He loudly wooed into a few people’s faces and then ran out of the bar, with the hospital as his assumed destination.
Nobody else followed him, though. They had already gone back to drinking. Unfazed, the bartender went to make a call. “Alright, time to go home, Joker. I’m calling Paul.” Phoenix took to this the same way a kid would after his mom turned off his XBox mid-game. It was one of the most vulnerable and raw performances that I’d seen in years.
Paul came about 20 minutes after the bartender called. As it turned out, ‘Paul’ was legendary director Paul Thomas Anderson, with whom Phoenix made both The Master and Inherent Vice. Anderson carried Phoenix to the backseat of his 1980 Subaru GL in which Phoenix made himself comfortable right away. He stretched himself across the entirety of the Subaru's backseat and tucked himself in with a blanket that had the name ‘Joaqy’ stitched onto it.
Anderson thanked the bartender for calling him and taking such great care of his friend. I then thanked Anderson for making Magnolia, the film that helped me finally express to my father that I have a taste in film much superior to his.
Of course, Anderson coyly deflected the praise, quickly switching the subject back to Phoenix. “Joaqy’s one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with. The second day of shooting The Master, he showed up to set drunk. I asked him why. He told me it was for his character and then he punched me in the stomach. After that, I was like, ‘wow, this guy’s special.’ Guys like Joaqy just make my job easy.” I ask my new friend Paul whether he thinks Phoenix will bring new life to the Joker character. “Absolutely,” he told me. “You know, I always felt like there was something really dark about the Joker. Mysterious, too. That’s the type of stuff that Joaqy’s all about.” Phoenix starts honking the horn furiously. He wants to go. All too familiar with how this goes, Anderson chuckles, heads over to the driver’s seat, and bids me a farewell.
The next morning, I get a knock on my door. It’s a now-completely-overtaken-by-char Jared Leto. He begs me to help him stop Joaquin Phoenix from going ahead with this movie. His life hangs in the balance. In a perfect world, I would be able to help Leto. But he of all people should know that you can’t convince the Joker to do the right thing. The truest of Jokers always go for chaos. I didn’t think Phoenix had it in him to pull off this role. But after seeing Jared Leto fragment into nothingness on my doorstep, my hopes for the big-budget comic book movie secretly being funded by our military are as high as they’ve ever been. If that’s not a steakhouse actor, then I don’t know what is.