1. As Himself - I'm Still Here
When talking about the Method, people tend to have a number of go-to examples of the finest examples of immersion in a role that truly exemplify the lengths actors will go for their craft. People talk about De Niro participating in actual boxing matches and gaining an incredible amount of weight for his Oscar-winning performance as Jake La Motta in Raging Bull. Or they talk about Martin Sheen actually being drunk, high and losing his mind during the disastrous year-long shooting schedule of Apocalypse Now. They talk about Christian Bale's extreme weight loss for films such as The Machinist and The Fighter, or they talk about Daniel Day-Lewis' entire filmography - refusing to move and having to be wheeled around and fed to immerse himself in the life of Christy Brown in My Left Foot, or living off the land for months in order to portray Nathaniel Poe in The Last of the Mohicans. However, nobody seems to mention Joaquin Phoenix's performance in I'm Still Here which, for my money, is the single greatest use of the Method by
any actor in the entire history of the technique. Some of the hesitation might stem from the fact that, for a while, nobody was sure if this was a documentary or a work of fiction. For the longest time, it seemed as though Phoenix had actually lost it, quit acting, and decided to become a quite terrible rapper. Even after Phoenix and his brother-in-law Casey Affleck (who is married to Joaquin's sister, Summer Phoenix, and who co-starred with Phoenix in To Die For) came clean about the film, people still had a hard time to believe that everything was staged. Which, to me, is the greatest testament to the power of the performance one could ever expect. Forget staying in character while on set, researching roles, embodying characters, physical transformations, or any of that stuff. Joaquin Phoenix began portraying the role of Joaquin Phoenix in late 2008 and didn't stop acting the part for
two entire years. He lived and breathed this character, from the physical transformation (the hair, the beard, the body fat) to the asshole demeanor, the failed rap career, the delusions of grandeur. All of it, every single moment, both the ones captured on camera and those not, were part of the act. And that is why I'm Still Here is Joaquin Phoenix's crowning achievement, and his finest performance to date.
5. That Sucked...