Joaquin Phoenix cemented his Oscar frontrunner status by winning the best drama actor prize at the Golden Globes 2020, for his radical turn in Joker, a dark and controversial take on the comic book super-villain.
Phoenix, like several A-listers, used his speech to address climate change and the Australian wildfires, continuing until producers played him off with music.
“We all know there is no … competition between us,” Phoenix told his fellow nominees, praising their “beautiful, mesmerizing work.”
He also thanked director Todd Phillips, saying: “You convinced me to do this movie and you encouraged me to give everything and to be sincere. And I’m such a pain in the ass.”
This marked Phoenix’s second Golden Globes victory. In 2006, he received the award for best actor in a musical or comedy for playing Johnny Cash in Walk The Line.
He has been nominated for four other Golden Globes: in 2001 for Gladiator, in 2013 for The Master, in 2014 for Her and in 2015 for Inherent Vice.
The film, released on October 4 across United States, has grossed $1.1 billion worldwide.
