Writer and director Lynne Ramsay has described Joaquin Phoenix as her moviemaking “soulmate”.
Joaquin stars as damaged war veteran Joe in Lynne’s new film You Were Never Really Here, which the Scottish auteur wrote, directed and produced.
Despite never meeting him before the shoot began, Lynne knew the actor was the only man for the job.
“I had his picture up on my computer. And I was right, you know? He’s amazing. I found my soulmate in making movies,” she enthused to British Esquire.
Their working relationship flourished, resulting in a movie that won over critics when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May (17), bagging Joaquin the coveted Best Actor award. Lynne also went home with the Best Screenplay gong and was nominated for the Palme d'Or, but ultimately lost out to Ruben Ostlund’s The Square.
“Lynne’s always chasing something, and that’s who you want to work with,” Joaquin shared. “Filmmakers who have a strong feeling and will pursue it to the end. And auteurs are ultimately responsible for the movie. Some movies, the producer, the studio, they’re all putting in their f**king bits and, you know — f**k that movie!”
Despite the dark nature of the film, about a traumatised veteran who tracks down missing girls for a living, Joaquin says the set was a fun place to be.
“But also, it’s not f**king real. I mean, come on, it’s a movie! Sometimes you do stuff and someone walks through with a tray of sandwiches,” he laughed.
In fact, although known for his serious and sometimes offbeat film choices, Joaquin is in no way a method actor and says it wasn’t a hard task to get into the mindset of Joe in his new flick.
“Look, I want to sound like one of those actors who works really hard and stuff, but honestly? It was reading the script, talking to Lynne, and making s**t up. Just like every movie,” he shrugged.
You Were Never Really Here hits U.K. and U.S. cinemas from March.
