Joaquin Phoenix on Playing Joker + Exclusive Outtake

Jimmy: THANK YOU FOR COMING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. Jimmy: I SAW JOKER LAST NIGHT AND NOW I'M AFRAID OF YOU. I HAVE TO SAY. IT REALLY WAS AN AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE. ARE YOU PROUD OF THAT? ARE YOU AWARE HOW GOOD IT IS? Mm. Jimmy: THAT'S A TOUGH QUESTION, RIGHT? THAT'S A DIFFICULT QUESTION. Jimmy: YOU LOOK LIKE A INDIVIDUAL IF YOU SAY YES, BUT YOU LIE IF YOU SAY NO. MANY PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. Jimmy: YOU'RE GREAT. I'M JUST SAYING THAT. THANK YOU. Jimmy: NOW YOU LOOK MUSCULAR. She was SO THIN IN THE MOVIE AND YOU REALLY LOOKED SICK.

HOW MUCH WEIGHT DID YOU LOSE BECAUSE OF THAT? OH, I DON'T KNOW. Jimmy: BUT A LOT, RIGHT? A LITTLE. Jimmy: YES, A LITTLE. AND IS IT AS TERRIBLE AS I IMAGINED IT WOULD BE? YOU HAVE A FINITE AMOUNT OF TIME AND PEOPLE COUNT ON YOU TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR A MOVIE? SOMETIMES IT IS DIFFICULT. Jimmy: Uh-huh. BUT THERE IS ALSO SOMETHING VERY POWERFUL ABOUT THIS. Jimmy: IS THERE? YES. Jimmy: WHAT? YES. I THINK JUST HAVING THAT LEVEL OF CONTROL OF YOURSELF. Jimmy: Uh-huh. AT FIRST YOU ARE EXHAUSTED. Jimmy: Uh-huh. YOU LOOK AT A FLIGHT OF STAIRS AND IT TAKES 30 SECONDS, YOU HAVE TO TALK TO YOURSELF TO DO IT.

I CAN DO THIS, I KNOW I CAN DO THIS. BUT THEN ONCE YOU REACH YOUR GOAL WEIGHT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. IS INCREDIBLE. YOU SUDDENLY FEEL ENERGIZED AND EXCITED. Jimmy: MAYBE YOUR STOMACH SHRINKS TO THE SIZE OF A RAISIN AND YOU DON'T WANT ANYMORE FOOD. NO, YOU WANT FOOD. Jimmy: SOMETIMES I WILL FAST DURING THE DAY AND LOOK AT RECIPES ONLINE. AND I'LL SAY I NEED TO SAVE THAT, I NEED TO MAKE THAT CHEESE BURGER, I HAVE TO DO THIS. IT'S DIFFICULT. BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEE TV. A FOOD COMMERCIAL ARRIVES AND. Jimmy: YOU'RE START TO THINK, I'M GOING TO THE SIZZLER.

I AM VEGAN. SO I DON'T DO THAT. Jimmy: THEY HAVE A LOT OF CHICKPEAS. YES, HE RAISES HIS HEAD IN STRANGE WAYS, IN DREAMS. Jimmy: YOU GO OUT TO DINNER WITH PEOPLE AND YOU DON'T EAT? NO, YOU DON'T SOCIALIZE. Jimmy: DON'T YOU SOCIALIZE? NO, AT ALL. PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE, OUR ACTIVITIES REVOLVED AROUND FOOD AND DRINK. . Jimmy: AND EXPLAINING TO THE WAITER, I'M NOT GOING TO EAT, I'M PART OF A MOVIE, OH WHAT MOVIE ARE YOU DOING? I'M DOING "JOKER". AND YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE MOVIE, CAN YOU? IT'S STILL PRETTY SECRET. I CAN. Jimmy: BUT YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T.

SHOULD WE TRY IT? DO YOU SEE HOW FAR WE CAN GO? Jimmy: THE FUNNY THING IS THAT THESE PEOPLE WHO CHEER RIGHT NOW WOULD BE THE CRAZIEST PEOPLE. IF JOAQUIN TOLD YOU WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MOVIE RIGHT NOW, PEOPLE WOULD LEAVE HERE ANGRY MAYBE NOT. Jimmy: TRY IT. LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS. THE LAST SCENE. NO, THE FUN THING ABOUT THIS MOVIE IS THAT IT REALLY KEEPS YOU GUESSING. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. Jimmy: YES. AND SO I DIDN'T WANT TO RUIN THAT FOR ANYONE. LIKE I THINK IT'S FUNNY. MY SISTERS, MY ENTIRE FAMILY CAME TO THE PREMIERE.

Jimmy: Uh-huh. LATER, WE WENT TO MY HOUSE AND MY SISTERS MADE A CLOSE DECISION ABOUT WHAT THE FILM WAS ABOUT, WHAT IT MEAN. THEY WERE REALLY COMMITTED IN A WAY THEY HAVE NOT BEEN WITH MY OTHER FILMS. THEY HAVE NOT SEEN MY OTHER FILMS, BUT... BUT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THAT COMMITTED. Jimmy: DO YOU ANSWER ANY OF THE QUESTIONS THEY HAVE? OR STAY OUT OF IT. NO, IT'S GREAT. Jimmy: YOU JUST LIKE TO SEE IT HAPPEN. EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T HAVE A ROLE IN THE FILM, I EXPLAINED IT TO EVERYONE AT WORK. WE HAD A SCREENING AND WE WERE DISCUSSING IT AND I ACT AS IF I WAS THE AUTHORITY.

I HAVE A THEORY ABOUT THE ENDING. I CAN'T SAY BECAUSE I WOULD RUIN IT, BUT I WILL TELL YOU DURING THE COMMERCIAL BREAK MY THEORY. ARE YOU A MYSTERIOUS MAN? PEOPLE WILL FIND US MYSTERIOUS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Jimmy: I SORRY LIKE WE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY. IS THAT INTENTIONAL? I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT YOU. Jimmy: THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE HE'S NOT WATCHING THE SHOW. MOST PEOPLE TELL ME THEY KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT ME. THEY WOULD PREFER TO KNOW A LITTLE LESS ABOUT ME. BUT I WOULD ASK YOU A COUPLE OF VERY RANDOM QUESTIONS, OKAY?

I THINK THIS WILL BE FUN FOR YOU. WELL, I'M EXCITED. Jimmy: Okay. FIRST FILM YOU WATCHED IN A CINEMA? I DON'T REMEMBER IT. Jimmy: DON'T YOU REMEMBER? WOW. WAIT. I HAVE IT. IT'S THERE, IT'S THERE, WAIT. NO, I HAVE NO IDEA. Jimmy: SERIOUSLY? THIS WAS A BAD EXPERIMENT. WHY DON'T WE TAKE A BREAK? AND THIS IS A STRANGE THING TO SAY, MAYBE, BUT YOUR DANCE IN THE FILM IS SO GOOD. YOU ARE A GOOD DANCER. . Jimmy: TRAIN FOR DANCE? OR DOES ALL THAT JUST COME FROM INSIDE? YES, THERE WERE TWO SEQUENCES. I WORKED WITH THIS CHOREOGRAPHER CALLED MICHAEL ARNOLD, WHO WORKED ON THE SEQUENCE WITH THE STEPS AND THE SEQUENCE WHERE I'M THE CLOWN, WE WORKED ON THAT, BUT THAT PIECE WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY A REACTION TO THE SCORE TODD JUST RECEIVED THAT PART OF THE COMPOSER SCORE.

AND WE WERE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THAT SCENE, AND HE STARTED PLAYING ME THAT MUSIC, AND WE JUST DECIDED WE WANTED SOMETHING THAT WAS JUST UM, ILLUSTRATED THIS TRANSFORMATION INTO A JOKER THAT WAS NON-VERBAL, AND THAT'S WHAT WE CAME UP FOR. Jimmy: IS THIS HOW IT TYPICALLY HAPPENS? DO YOU HAVE THE SCORE BEFORE YOU FINISH SHOOTING THE FILM? NO. SOMETIMES I THINK... I REALLY DON'T KNOW, BUT THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I THINK I WAS AWARE OF WHERE THE SCORE WAS SO INFLUENCED. Jimmy: DID YOU DANCE AS A CHILD? DO YOU HAVE ANY DANCE BACKGROUND?

YES. I don't want to brag, but I was really good. Jimmy: WERE YOU A GOOD DANCER? WERE YOU KNOWN AS A GOOD DANCER? NOT AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. Jimmy: AMONG YOUR CIRCLE, WHAT KIND OF DANCE DID YOU DO? YOU NAME IT. Jimmy: SERIOUSLY? YES, BUT I MEAN, PROBABLY MY STRENGTH WAS BREAK DAILING. Jimmy: BREAK DANCE, SERIOUSLY? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT POPPING AND BLOCKING, SPINNING? YES. Jimmy: EVERYTHING? WOULD YOU DO IT ON THE STREET FOR PEOPLE TO SEE? SOMETIMES, BUT IT WAS MORE PERSONAL. Jimmy: WAS IT? YES, I LIKE TO KEEP IT TO MYSELF AS PERSONAL.

SOMETHING INSIDE. Jimmy: YOU AND A PIECE OF CARDBOARD IN YOUR ROOM. YOU'RE MOCKING, BUT IT WAS SERIOUS TO ME. Jimmy: THIS MOVIE, DID IT SEEM TOUGH IN SOME WAYS? THE JOKER LAUGHES A LOT. AND NOT IN A FUN WAY. MORE LIKE A ROBERT DE NIRO IN CAPE FEAR. DID IT JUST SEEMED UNPLEASANT TO DO IT? WAS THAT THE CASE? NO. Jimmy: DID YOU HAVE FUN MAKING THE FILM? YES. I DID. IT WAS A PLAY OF LIGHT, YOU KNOW? TODD, YOU KNOW TODD. Jimmy: TODD PHILLIPS IS THE DIRECTOR. VERY FUN AND, YES, I FEEL ALMOST GUILTY, BUT WE HAD A GREAT TIME.

Jimmy: IT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU SAY THAT, BECAUSE TODD SENT ME A REEL OF OUTTAKE. TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED HERE. THE CONSTANT WHISPER, JUST SHUT UP. I'M TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING REAL. . . I'M SORRY, . IT IS NOT A BIG THING. IT IS NOT A BIG THING. YEAH. IS. . I know you started it all, Larry. . MOCKING ME. . IT'S NOT EVEN AN INSULT. ACTUALLY? HOW IS THAT AN INSULT? I CAN'T DO THIS, MAN. Jimmy: WHAT HAPPENED THERE. WHO IS LARRY? Mm. Um, yeah, Larry is the director of photography. He this IS VERY EMBARRASSING. Jimmy: AND DID CHER CALL YOU? HEY, YES.

LOOK, SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES MOVIES GET INTENSE, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN A SMALL SPACE AND YOU'RE TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING. SO THE REQUEST FEELS INTENSE, BUT UM, THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PRIVATE. Jimmy: YES, YES. I'M A LITTLE EMBARRASSED. I'm sorry about that. Jimmy: YES. SORRY, YOU HAD TO SEE THAT. Jimmy: I BELIEVE IN LARRY. NO, IT'S NOT LARRY'S FAULT. Jimmy: IT'S TOTALLY LARRY'S FAULT, AND CHER'S FAULT FOR CERTAIN, YOU KNOW? CHER HAS PART OF THE BURDEN TO TAKE FOR THIS. SURE. WELL, LET ME THINK ABOUT THIS A LITTLE MORE. Jimmy: WELL, DO THAT.

MY PUBLICIST WILL ISSUE A FORMAL STATEMENT TOMORROW. Jimmy: WELL, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. YES, CAN WE MOVE ON? Jimmy: YEAH, IT'S OVER, SO IF YOU WANT TO GO CALL LARRY, WE CAN DO IT. WELL, I SHOULD PROBABLY APOLOGIZE PUBLICLY TO LARRY. Jimmy: YES, YOU PROBABLY SHOULD. LARRY? But the thing is, I'm sorry, but he whispered constantly while we were trying to work. AND SOMETIMES IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND THE EMOTION YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, SO IT WAS WRONG ON MY PART, BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT. Jimmy: JOAQUIN PHOENIX! "JOKER" RELEASES IN CINEMA ON FRIDAY.