Joaquin Phoenix’s Most Touching Quotes About Late Brother River Phoenix: ‘We Were a Team’

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Joaquin Phoenix's Most Touching Quotes About Late Brother River Phoenix: 'We Were a Team'

Always in his heart. Joaquin Phoenix will never forget the impact his late brother, River Phoenix, made on both his career and his childhood before his untimely death. River was the eldest of five Phoenix children — including Joaquin and sisters Rain, Liberty and Summer — all of whom pursued acting from a young age. Best known for his work in the 1986 coming-of-age film Stand By Me and 1991's My Own Private Idaho, River quickly became a breakout star. He died of a drug overdose outside of the Viper Room in Los Angeles in October 1993, days after Joaquin's 19th birthday. River was 23 years old. Since experiencing the heartbreaking loss of his older brother, the Walk the Line star has often spoken about the inspiration River left behind. In September 2020, Joaquin welcomed his first child with fiancée Rooney Mara, a baby boy named River in honor of the late Oscar nominee. One year before making this touching tribute to his older brother, the Puerto Rico native made it clear that his career wouldn't have been possible without the help of the Explorers star. [jwplayer 6lVnbhJU-l3ahXupL] "When I was 15 or 16, my brother River came home from work, and he had a VHS copy of a movie called Raging Bull," Joaquin said in an emotional speech at the Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Gala in September 2019. "And he sat me down and made me watch it. The next day, he woke me up and he made me watch it again. And he said, 'You're going to start acting again. This is what you're going to do.' He didn't ask me, he told me. And I am indebted to him for that because acting has given me such an incredible life." The Joker actor continued: "I feel overwhelmed with emotion, because I'm just thinking about all the people that had such a profound influence on me. ... I thought about my family. My sisters Rain and Liberty and Summer, who are still my best friends." Scroll down to see more of Joaquin’s sweetest quotes about his late brother, River. [podcast_block]

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Second Chances

While accepting the award for Best Actor at the 92nd annual Oscars in February 2020, Joaquin took a moment to reflect on words of wisdom he learned from his brother. "I've been a scoundrel in my life," he said during his speech. "I've been selfish, I've been cruel at times, I've been hard to work with. I'm grateful so many of you in this room have given me a second chance." Though he didn't mention River by name, fans saw the Joker star get overcome with emotion on the Dolby Theater stage as he remembered his brother, who never got the same second chance. "When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said, 'Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow,'" Joaquin added.

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River Encouraged His Acting Career

During a rare interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes in January 2020, Joaquin opened up about the challenges of mourning in public — and the impact his brother made on his career from an early age. After revealing that River once told him that he would be a "more successful actor than I am," the Gladiator star said, "Through my brother and his understanding and appreciation of that kind of acting I think it just awakened something in me and I suddenly could see it through his eyes."

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His Guiding Light

"I feel like in virtually every movie that I made, there was a connection to River in some way," Phoenix said during a vulnerable 60 Minutes interview in January 2020, reflecting on how River's loss left a lasting impact on his whole family. "And I think that we've all felt his presence and guidance in our lives in numerous ways."

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On River's Death

River was 23 when he died of a drug overdose outside of the Viper Room in Los Angeles shortly after returning from Utah, where he was working on his last project, Dark Blood. More than 15 years later, Joaquin reflected on the night he lost his brother, who was also a talented musician. "I don't think it was typical," he told Vanity Fair in October 2019. "To be honest, I don't think it was really — I don't think it's what he would have wanted to have done with his night. He'd, just before that, spent time just playing me new songs that he'd written."

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River's Prediction

For a brief period of time in his early career, Joaquin went by the name Leaf. By the time he was 15, the Brother Bear actor returned to his given name, at the request of his brother. "He suggested I change my name [back to Joaquin] and then, I don't know, six months later, whatever it was, we were in Florida, we were in the kitchen, and he said, 'You're going to be an actor and you're going to be more well-known than I am.' Me and my mom looked at each other like, 'What the f--k is he talking about?'" Joaquin said in an October 2019 interview with Vanity Fair. "I don't know why he said that or what he knew of me at the time. I hadn't been acting at all. But he also said it with a certain weight, with a knowing that seemed so absurd to me at the time, but of course now, in hindsight, you're like, 'How the f--k did he know?'"

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His Biggest Influence

"When I was 15 or 16, my brother River came home from work, and he had a VHS copy of a movie called Raging Bull," the Her actor recalled at the Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Gala in September 2019. "And he sat me down and made me watch it. The next day, he woke me up and he made me watch it again. And he said, 'You're going to start acting again. This is what you're going to do.' He didn't ask me, he told me. And I am indebted to him for that because acting has given me such an incredible life."

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'We Were a Team'

Joaquin and his siblings had a unique childhood, growing up in a religious cult in the 1970s. Eventually, his family decided to leave the controversial organization and turned to more creative outlets. Despite being part of a family of actors, Joaquin never felt like his siblings were his competition. "We were a team, and whoever was working, well, that was great," he told Playboy in 2014. "We're always supportive of each other. There wasn't competition. We just didn't have that competitive streak in us the way we were raised."