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.”
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.”
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."
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."
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.