Gus Van Sant admits working with Joaquin Phoenix is an "intense" experience.
The 65-year-old director recently reunited with the Hollywood actor for his comedy-drama movie ‘Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot’, and Gus has revealed Joaquin was meticulous in his preparation for his starring role.
Gus – who also worked with Joaquin on the 1995 movie ‘To Die For’ – told the Guardian newspaper: "[Joaquin] is intense, it’s true, but I’ve known him all these years and we’ve kept in touch.
"We talk about a lot of things we’re working on independently, but this is our first movie together in over 20 years. He’s very hard-working. We went through the entire script, page by page. He wanted to make sure everything I was indicating in the story was something he was in sync with."
By contrast, Joaquin previously claimed that one of the keys to his career success has been his refusal to overthink things.
Asked to explain his approach to acting, he said: "Just be in the moment. Don’t overthink it, let it be what it is. If you keep trying to find what’s unique in the moment, then the danger is that you miss that very thing."
However, Joaquin freely conceded that film actors have an advantage over other performers because they are afforded the opportunity to make mistakes.
He confessed: "The great thing about film is that you get to make mistakes."
Gus Van Sant says working with Joaquin Phoenix is intense
