Joaquin Phoenix reveals terrifying car crash that forced him to go to rehab
Joaquin Phoenix has opened up about the terrifying car crash that made him realise he needed to seek help.
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Joaquin Phoenix is getting candid about a difficult time in his life.
The 45-year-old Oscar winner spoke about the moment he decided to check himself into rehab because he felt his behaviour was getting out of control.
Phoenix said that after filming Walk the Line almost 15 years ago he was drinking heavily and partying all night long.
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“I wasn’t engaging with the world or myself in the way I wanted to. I was being an idiot, running around, drinking, trying to screw people, going to stupid clubs,’” he explained to British GQ for its May cover issue.
Phoenix said one night he flipped his car on a side road in Los Angeles, and following the incident, someone distracted him as he was trying to light a cigarette near the vehicle that was leaking petrol.
“A German voice said, ‘Just relax,'" Phoenix said. He said he replied he was and the German voice said, "No, you’re not." Phoenix realised after that it was director Werner Herzog.
After the incident, Phoenix realised he needed to go rehab. Although he completed the stint, Phoenix does drink on occasion when he flies but has stopped smoking weed.
Phoenix also has committed to living a vegan lifestyle. At the Golden Globes in January, he applauded the HFPA for serving a plant-based meal.
"First, I'd like to thank the awards for going plant-based and trying to offset our carbon footprint. It's a really amazing message," Phoenix told the crowd when he accepted his award for best actor.
JOAQUIN’S SWEET TRIBUTE
Phoenix delivered a powerful Best Actor acceptance speech for his role as the Joker at February’s Academy Awards, choking back tears as he concluded with a sweet tribute to his late brother.
“Now I have been a scoundrel in my life. I’ve been selfish. I’ve been cruel at times. Hard to work with and ungrateful, but so many of you in this room have given me a second chance and I think that’s when we are at our best, when we support each other, not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes but when we help each other to grow, when we educate each other to grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other toward redemption. That is the best of humanity.”
Then – stumbling over his words slightly as he fought back tears – he said: “I just want to – when you – when he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric, he said, ‘Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.’ Thank you.”
This story originally appeared on Fox News and is republished here with permission.
Originally published as Joaquin Phoenix reveals terrifying car crash that forced him to go to rehab