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I didn't know where to post it, I hope I'm doing write, I put the link after.
He talks about the fame and mentions his girlfriend.....

Fame's no fun, says Phoenix
But it's something he has to live with -- he's in two of this fall's biggest movies

October 12, 2007
BY CINDY PEARLMAN
NEW YORK -- When it comes to fame, there is one Phoenix who will not rise to the occasion. A few nights ago, actor Joaquin Phoenix was walking down a New York street.

"I was walking to my girlfriend's house to go pick her up for dinner," Phoenix recalls. "A few people started following me and one asked for an autograph."

Instead of just signing and slinking away, Phoenix, 33, says he almost had a physical reaction to being recognized.

"I broke into a sweat," he says, shaking his head while putting out a cigarette in his suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

"The worst part of this life is I don't like the attention. I never read reviews. I don't read the entertainment press," Phoenix says. "But let's be very honest. I'm not an incredibly hot property. I'm not pursued.

"That Brad Pitt. He's pursued all the time. When I'm photographed, I just figure they're waiting for Pitt," he adds with a laugh.

Director Terry George, who called the shots in his new film "Reservation Road," says, "Joaquin hides from celebrity. If you eat out with him at a restaurant, you can see him physically shrink if someone recognizes him. It freaks him out."

Yet, Phoenix stars in two of the biggest movies of fall, the cop drama "We Own the Night," now in local theaters, and "Reservation Road," opening Friday.

"I'm sorry. I know one movie with me is enough," Phoenix jokes. "Honestly, I haven't seen either movie, but you know I never see them. 'The Yards' is the last time I saw a movie with me in it.

"There are too many dangers in watching yourself. I never want to see how the camera sees me," he says. "I don't want to be that self-aware."

The worst part of having two movies is that Phoenix is in the press. "I never read about people I like and I don't want to know what their thing is when they're not working. I've read some stuff about bands I like and then you find out that a song you love is written about the drummer's aunt. You're like, 'No, that song is about a girl that I like. What are you doing to me telling me it's about your aunt!' "

Phoenix plays a man whose son is killed in a hit-and-run accident in "Reservation Road." Out of his rage and anguish, he decides to hunt down the father (Mark Ruffalo) who swerved into the boy on a dark, lonely road.

"What was interesting was how this tragedy affected the different people," Phoenix says. "My son is lost and the trick is to see the deterioration and see how the obsession grows in my character. Hopefully, the audience will feel conflicted when it comes to these two men. I'd like the audience to feel something for everyone in this situation."

To prepare for the role, Phoenix met with families who lost children. "There was one man named David who lost his son. His level of rage was explosive. I talked to him and listened to him breathe. When people talk about something that emotional, your body actually fights for breath."

"Road" director George allowed Phoenix to do what he wanted to do when it came to some of the explosive scenes. "Terry said, 'It's just f---ing dialogue. Say whatever you want.' "

"I leave the actors to go wherever they need to go and find what they need," George confirms. "They find it where they can."

Phoenix also stars for director James Gray in "We Own the Night." It's the story of two brothers (Mark Wahlberg and Phoenix) who are on opposite sides when it comes to the law.

Phoenix has worked with Gray in the past on films, including "The Yards."

"He loves human psychology. He loves actors and he loves talking about acting," Phoenix says of Gray. "He's also available to talk about anything, and I really enjoy that part of it because to me that's the best preparation."

Phoenix is also quick to compliment Wahlberg. "He's gorgeous to look at, isn't he?" Phoenix jokes. "No, Mark is really hard-working. That's something I really value in other people. The greatest thing about Mark is that there's just such truth and authenticity in his performances."

In the film, Phoenix plays the black sheep while Wahlberg is the good one in the family. "Of course, all of this casting depended on Brad Pitt's availability and Leonardo's availability," Phoenix says. "I do remember talking about playing either character."

Phoenix says playing tortured characters helps keep his mind on the acting game. "I'm never bored," he says. "I think of it this way: Drama is conflict. Just that simple. You want conflict in the character and if there isn't enough conflict, I'm bored to death.

"I don't know a single person in life who doesn't have conflict every single day. I think a movie should be an extreme version of life," Phoenix says. "The things we see on the screen aren't necessarily our experiences in life, but we can study them from seeing them in a movie.

"Playing just quote, unquote regular guys would be really tedious and boring to me. It's like if you were a surfer. Would you want to surf where there were only 2-foot waves or would you want to surf in the 10-foot waves?"

By the way, Phoenix hates all the other parts of stardom. "The wardrobe, the taking pictures and doing press. All this sh-- I don't really enjoy," he confesses. "It wouldn't be worth it to me without having an intense experience on a set."

He certainly doesn't care about awards. "Awards are very nice, but you don't want those things to affect you. You don't want it to matter to you.

"I've seen directors and actors pander for those awards and pander for box office weekends.

"It shouldn't matter whether you get invited to those parties or not," he says. "I don't want to give it value or have it matter to me. Maybe some people are strong enough to endure it."

Phoenix insists, "The best part of acting for me is between action and cut."

Phoenix has always been a free spirit. He was born in Puerto Rico to Children of God missionaries John Amram and Arlyn Dunitz as the middle of five children, including his late brother River and sisters Rain, Liberty and Summer Phoenix. He grew up all over Central and South America, winding up back in Los Angeles, where his father worked as a landscaper.

An agent asked to represent the five children. After a slew of commercials, Joaquin made his small-screen debut on his brother's TV series "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." He also starred in "Parenthood" (1989), "To Die For" (1995), "Inventing the Abbotts" (1997), "U Turn" (1997), and "Return to Paradise" (1998).

He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Gladiator" and then again for his star turn as Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line."

Phoenix off the set is a bit of a mystery man. He isn't the type to go clubbing and end up in photo ops.

"It's not my scene," he says. "I don't even have a scene. Of course, I've been to clubs in New York in my 20s. I think they're just awful. It's unbearable to me. I don't like being in an enclosed place with really loud music and a lot of drunken people. That's not my idea of a good time."

What does he do during his free time? "It's terrible," he says. "No one ever believes me, but I do nothing.

"I have a TV. I like the Discovery Channel. I watch that a lot," he says. "I watch the History Channel, the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. That's about all I do."

Here is the link

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/people/599231,CNT-News-joaquin12.article