American Horror Story and Misery star Kathy Bates has praised Joaquin Phoenix’s Golden Globe-winning performance as Arthur Fleck in the Todd Phillips directed film, Joker.
In an interview with Deadline, Bates said she found Phoenix’s performance to be “electrifying” and it has inspired her to “do better” with her own performances and to see what’s possible.
“Well, recently I saw an incredible performance by Joaquin Phoenix and as the Joker and it was electrifying and I had seen his work over the years but this was just astounding and in fact, I’ve gone back and watched it again and to see a performance like that inspires me to do better and to see what’s possible,” Bates said. “To see the kind of intricacy of work and the building of a character slowly over time and I mean this in the best way, the selfishness that it takes to create that kind of performance and it just inspires me not to get better, although that’s part of it, but it makes me so happy that there’s a performance like that out there that I know when I moved on from this earthly plane that the craft will be in the hands of someone like him and a lot of the younger people that are coming up. It makes me feel that the last 50 years have been worth it.”
Bates’ praise for Phoenix’s performance has some weight as she has received numerous awards and accolades, including an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Bates also gave an astounding performance as Annie Wilkes in 1990’s Misery.
Joker stars Joaquin Phoenix (The Sisters Brothers), Robert De Niro (Goodfellas), Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Bill Camp (Red Sparrow), Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Brett Cullen (Narcos), Glenn Fleshler (Billions), Douglas Hodge (Penny Dreadful), Marc Maron (GLOW), Josh Pais (Motherless Brooklyn), Shea Whigham (Kong: Skull Island), Douglas Hodge (Robin Hood) and Dante Pereira-Olson (You Were Never Really Here).
