Joaquin Phoenix had a lot to celebrate on Sunday night after he was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture.
Picking up the award for his role as Arthur Fleck in Joker, Joaquin used his speech to highlight the climate crisis and the tragic bushfires in Australia.
However, it was his backstage speech that raised eyebrows after videos showed Joaquin announcing that he had been "fucking tricked" into getting on stage in the first place.
#VIDEO | Joaquin Phoenix backstage at The Golden Globes, “I didn’t know that I was coming up here just now, they fucking tricked me.”
After asking journalists in the press room how they were doing, Joaquin said: "I didn't know that I was coming up here just now. They fucking tricked me."
Joaquin was then asked by a journalist about his preparation and research for Joker which, judging by his face, he wasn't too impressed by.
"Isn't this old news?" Joaquin responded. Before answering the question, he added: "I feel like I've talked about this for six months. You wanna hear a different version of it?"
Joaquin Phoenix bristles at journalist's question about how he prepared for #Joker: "I feel like I've talked about this for six months" https://t.co/vU3bAFReak #GoldenGlobes
The awkward exchange sparked a huge debate on Twitter, as some accused Joaquin of being "rude".
@vlleneuve I have always been a Joaquin fan, but that’s trash. There is absolutely no reason to be that rude. You get paid millions of dollars to talk on screen and one of the added jobs is promoting that shit. Work for that mil sweetie. If they ask you 100x how you prepare answer 100x
y'all can think joaquin phoenix is a good actor and still acknowledge that he was a rude to that reporter, that is something you can do
I saw this earlier but didn’t actually hear how he said it and I’m kinda pissed off?? I love Joaquin and his acting but this was not okay and very rude?? Part of your job is to promote, doesn’t matter how many times you’ve explained something, fucking explain it. https://t.co/Jui542U6es
However, other people quickly came to Joaquin's defence, claiming that he's a "very shy person" and "gets nervous and uncomfortable" when talking on camera.
@Variety PLS READ: joaquin is a very shy person he doesn’t like public speaking and he doesn’t like award shows. his anxiety goes up and people with anxiety, speaking from experience, come across as rude. he’s not a rude person he gets nervous and uncomfortable when he has to speak
joaquin phoenix: i have social anxiety everyone: ok joaquin: *shows signs of social anxiety* everyone: why are you such a dick 🙄 you're so weird 🙄
Fuck every single asshole making fun of Joaquin Phoenix. Saying he's drunk or high during his speech. He was nervous and has anxiety. I know not everyone knows this, but the fact that people just automatically assume he's drunk or high is just sad. #GoldenGlobes
But many more criticised those who supported Joaquin's response to the question, comparing it to times when women have been called "awkward" or "rude" for similar incidents.
*jennifer lawrence is rude to journalists* “she’s so rude, she’s not funny, she’s mean, i can’t stand her” *joaquin phoenix is rude to journalists* “he’s so authentic and real, he suffers from anxiety so it’s okay to be rude” this stinks of misogyny 🤢
When Brie gets a little awkward during interviews because of her anxiety she gets called rude and a bitch.....Joaquin gets called out for being rude and y'all jump to his defense with "leave him alone he has anxiety!!!" https://t.co/UF7OA0hqUA
please kate winslet have been asked if jack couldve fitted in that wood in titanic for two decades and she was never rude about it 🤧 https://t.co/AW51OohZRI
And others said that the question itself was enough to warrant Joaquin's frustration.
I mean, wouldn’t you be a little bit bored if everyone kept asking you the same question over and over again. Joaquin is just honest and some people take that the wrong way. I totally understand how he can come across as rude but I think he’s just tired of the same old questions. https://t.co/t4mxTieEMT
*takes deep breath* JOAQUIN WASNT TRYING TO BE RUDE TO THAT JOURNALIST!! WHY IS THE DUDE ASKING THE SAME EXACT QUESTION EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER HAS ASKED HIM FOR MONTHS ??? ITS CALLED RESEARCH. BUT GO OFF I GUESS.
This isn't the first time during Joker promotion that Joaquin has been called rude. Back in October, Jimmy Kimmel shared a video of an outburst from the set of the movie, showing Joaquin confronting cinematographer Lawrence Sher.
However, despite Joaquin apologising for the outburst and saying that the video was "supposed to be private", Lawrence revealed that the whole thing was apparently just a prank that didn't go to plan.
