Joaquin Phoenix insisted there was "no competition" between himself and his fellow actors as he picked up the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Golden Globe on Sunday (06.01.20).
The 45-year-old actor’s work on ‘Joker’ saw him take the prize ahead of Christian Bale (‘Ford v Ferrari’), Antonio Banderas (‘Pain and Glory’), Adam Driver (‘Marriage Story’), and Jonathan Pryce (‘The Two Popes’) and admitted he had been "honoured" to be shortlisted against them.
He said: "I’m your f***ing student. I can’t believe the beautiful mesmerising, unique work that you’ve all done this year, I know people say this but I really do feel honoured to be mentioned with you…
"To my fellow nominees, we all know there’s no f***ing competition between us."
Joaquin revealed he had reached out to a number of nominees but when it came to Christian – who missed the ceremony due to illness – he felt "a little too intimidated" by him.
The actor also took the time to give thanks to ‘Joker’ director Todd Phillips.
He said: "You convinced me to do this movie and you encouraged me to give everything and be sincere. I cannot believe you put up with me."
After praising the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for serving a plant-based meal at the ceremony, which he hailed as a "powerful message", Joaquin later used his speech to stress the importance of "doing more" to help with climate change issues such as wildfires in Australia.
Before his speech was cut short, he said: "It’s really nice that so many people have sent their well wishes to Australia but we have to do more than that.
"I have not always been a virtuous man. So many of you in this room have given me so many opportunities to get it right. Together, hopefully we can be unified and make some changes."
Earlier in the evening, ‘Joker’ had also won the Golden Globe for best original score.
Joaquin Phoenix not in competition
