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Joaquin Phoenix will receive the Chairman’s Award for his performance in “Joker” at the 31st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), it was announced on Thursday.

The award will be presented to him by “Joker” director Todd Phillips and the event will take place on Jan. 2. The Palm Springs International Film Festival will run from Jan. 2 to Jan. 13.

“Joaquin Phoenix mesmerizes audiences in ‘Joker’ with a performance that elicits empathy and reminds society on the whole that we can be better,” Festival chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “For this performance, another in his arsenal of unforgettable characters, we are honored to present Joaquin Phoenix with this year’s Chairman’s Award.”

Also Read: Is Joaquin Phoenix Actually Playing the Real Joker in 'Joker'?

Past recipients of the award include Regina King, Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. It was previously announced that Renée Zellweger will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award at the festival.

Phoenix is a three-time Academy Award-nominated actor, who received his first nod for his work in “Gladiator,” which was awarded Best Picture in 2000. He was also nominated for his portraying Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line” and his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master.” Most recently, Phoenix was awarded Best Actor at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for his role in “You Were Never Really Here.” He also recently starred in Gus Van Sant’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot.”

Also Read: 'Joker' Film Review: Joaquin Phoenix Channels Classic Robert De Niro in Grungy '70s Homage

His other credits include “Her,” “Inherent Vice,” “Irrational Man,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “We Own the Night,” “The Immigrant” and “Parenthood.”

18 Stars Who Lost Major Weight for a Role, From Christian Bale to Joaquin Phoenix (Photos)

Actors like Taylor Kitsch, Chris Hemsworth and Anne Hathaway have undergone dramatic weight loss for roles. Some of them have even been recognized with Oscars for their intense physical dedication.
Tom Hanks - "Philadelphia" (1993)

Tom Hanks lost 26 pounds for his Oscar-winning turn as AIDS patient Andrew Beckett in "Philadelphia."

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YouTube
Matt Damon - "Courage Under Fire" (1996)

Matt Damon reportedly lost 40 pounds for his role as a soldier in "Courage Under Fire" opposite Denzel Washington.

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YouTube
Tom Hanks - "Cast Away" (2000)

Hanks again took it down a few (belt) notches in "Cast Away."

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20th Century Fox
Christian Bale - "The Machinist" (2004)

Christian Bale became frighteningly thin for "The Machinist," dropping 60 pounds. This would not be the only time he would put his body through an extreme transformation, going to similar lengths for his part in "The Fighter" and "Rescue Dawn."

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Paramount Classics
Beyoncé - "Dreamgirls" (2006)

Beyoncé dropped 20 pounds from her "Bootylicious" body with the help of a cleanse for her role in "Dreamgirls."

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YouTube
Michael Fassbender - "Hunger" (2008)

Michael Fassbender dropped an alarming amount of weight to play IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands in "Hunger."
Film4
Mila Kunis - "Black Swan" (2010)

Mila Kunis slimmed down by 20 pounds for the ballet thriller "Black Swan."

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Fox Searchlight
Natalie Portman - "Black Swan" (2010)

So did Kunis' Oscar-winning "Black Swan" co-star Natalie Portman.

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Fox Searchlight
Seth Rogen - "The Green Hornet" (2011)

Seth Rogen slimmed down considerably for "The Green Hornet." Unfortunately, the audience for that movie was also small.
Columbia Pictures
50 Cent - "All Things Fall Apart" (2011)

50 Cent looked more like a thin dime after dropping 50-plus pounds to play a football player with cancer in the indie drama "All Things Fall Apart."

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Instagram
Anne Hathaway - "Les Miserables" (2012)

Anne Hathaway opened up her mouth to sing -- but apparently not to eat much -- for "Les Miserables," shedding around 25 pounds (not to mention a whole lot of hair in one harrowing scene) for the Oscar-winning role.

Also Read: ‘Les Misérables’ Footage of Anne Hathaway Singing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ Screens at CinemaCon
Focus Features
Matthew McConaughey - "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013)

Matthew McConaughey upped his profile and won practically every possible acting award -- including an Oscar -- after dropping nearly 40 pounds to play a Texan with AIDS for the "Dallas Buyers Club."

Also Read: Matthew McConaughey on ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ Weight Loss, Tracking Wolves With Young Son (Videos)
Focus Features
Jared Leto - "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013)

McConaughey's co-star Jared Leto was no slouch in the weight-loss department either, shedding 30 to 40 pounds and picking up his own Oscar in the process.

Also Read: Jared Leto, Celine Dion Pay Emotional Tribute to Paris at AMAs (Video)
Focus Features
Zoe Kravitz - "The Road Within" (2014)

Zoe Kravitz weighed just 90 pounds at the time of filming for "The Road Within," having lost 20 pounds for the part. But she revealed that like her character in that movie, she too had struggled with anorexia in her real life.

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YouTube
Chris Hemsworth - "In the Heart of the Sea" (2015)

Chris Hemsworth shocked the internet when the "Thor" hunk revealed the dramatic weight loss he endured to play a shipwreck survivor in the fact-based period drama.

Also Read: Chris Hemsworth Shares Shocking Photo of Extreme Weight Loss for ‘In The Heart of the Sea’
Instagram
Liam Neeson - "Silence" (2016)

Liam Neeson shed some serious weight for Martin Scorsese's historical drama "Silence." Then 65, Neeson at one point said he took his weight loss "too far" in service of the part.

Also Read: Liam Neeson on ’60 Minutes': Why The ‘Non-Stop’ Star Makes All Those Action Movies (Video)
YouTube
Lily Collins - "To the Bone" (2017)

Lily Collins had struggled with anorexia and bulimia in her own life, but she said that losing weight to play a woman suffering from anorexia was important to do justice to the role. She then worked closely with nutritionists to ensure she actually gained the weight back.
Netflix
Taylor Kitsch - "Waco" (2018)

Taylor Kitsch revealed on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" that he lost 30 pounds to play cult leader David Koresh in Paramount Network's limited series "Waco." “I’d get 500 calories at breakfast and then it would go from like veggies in the mid-afternoon to chicken broth after 4 o’ clock. And then you go run, which is awesome!” he said.
Paramount Network
Joaquin Phoenix - "Joker" (2019)

The actor lost 52 pounds to play the role of Arthur Fleck, the troubled and deranged comedian who becomes the iconic Batman villain Joker. This was shortly after Phoenix beefed up to play a hitman in Lynne Ramsay's "You Were Never Really Here." "Joker" director Todd Phillips told Vanity Fair that the actor resembled a bird from the Gulf of Mexico having tar rinsed off its body.
Warner Bros.

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From Anne Hathaway to Beyoncé and Matthew McConaughey, Hollywood stars have a history of getting small for the big screen

Actors like Taylor Kitsch, Chris Hemsworth and Anne Hathaway have undergone dramatic weight loss for roles. Some of them have even been recognized with Oscars for their intense physical dedication.

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