Joker Controversy Talks More About The People Viewing It, Says Joaquin Phoenix

Joker might be receiving a lot of recognition at the awards circuit this year, however, Todd Phillip's gritty character study of Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime was met with a whole lot of controversy when it was released in 2019 with some expressing outrage over the film's depiction of violence.

As controversial as it was, critics couldn't deny the fact Joaquin Phoenix's exceptional performance as Joker's Arthur Fleck and the actor has been awarded the Best Actor award by several award-giving bodies, including the Golden Globes and the Hollywood Critics Association Awards. The actor was also nominated for the Best Actor category at this year's Oscars.

Now, speaking in an interview with 60 Minutes, Phoenix talks about the controversy surrounding his movie, talking about how critics responded to the film's depiction of mental and social issues. According to the Academy Award-winning actor, the collective reaction to Joker talks more about the people viewing the film than the movie itself.

"I've described it as, like, a Rorschach Test," Phoenix explained, "It says something about the person viewing it and what they think that it's about. That's really rare for a film to kind of have that effect on people. So in some ways, I welcomed it."

Despite all of the controversy surrounding the film, Joker did spark a whole lot of different discussions about violence, mental health, society, and anarchism. We understand why the movie is making it big at the awards circuit, nabbing 11 nominations at this year's Oscars.

Joker is available on Digital HD, DVD, Blu-Ray, and Ultra HD Blu-Ray.

Read: Joker's Joaquin Phoenix Nabs Best Actor Award at The Hollywood Critics Association Awards