Sunday night was Golden Globe Awards night, and among those who took home the hardware was Joaquin Phoenix for his performance as Arthur Fleck/Joker in "Joker." This is Joaquin Phoenix's second time bringing home a Golden Globe Award. His first award was in 2006 for his work in "Walk the Line." Phoenix's dynamic performance as failed comedian Arthur Fleck beat out some serious competition including Christian Bale (Ken Miles, "Ford v Ferrari"), Antonio Banderas (Salvador Mallo, "Pain and Glory") Adam Driver (Charlie, "Marriage Story") and Jonathan Pryce (Pope Francis, "The Two Popes").

Phoenix's prior Golden Globe nomination was in 2015 for "Inherent Vice." Michael Keaton beat out Phoenix. Phoenix went deep into his bag of tricks to play the disturbed and sociopathic Arthur Fleck, including losing 50 pounds. "Joker'" co-star Glenn Fleshler was shocked to see Phoenix lose all that weight, so fast and become truly immersed in the role. "Joker" was directed and co-written by Todd Phillips. Phillips has even said he wrote the role specifically for Joaquin Phoenix.

Joaquin Phoenix nervous about taking on the iconic role

Joaquin Phoenix spoke to Comic Book and admitted to being nervous about taking on a role portrayed by Hollywood legends. Phoenix was concerned about not doing the role justice.

Phillips managed to play off Phoenix's unpredictability, which he believes made up how Arthur/Joker acted in Gotham. Phoenix took the role but would only do it with a director that would put a unique spin on the character.

"Joker," received massive acclaim after debuting at the 2019 Venice Film Festival and taking home the Golden Lion award.

Hollywood insiders believe that Phoenix is a shoe-in for Best Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards. However, Phoenix is up against Adam Driver, and has entered into a major competition. They will soon go head-to-head at the Critics Choice Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

'Joker' makes the case for Academy Award

The film was a box office hit among moviegoers, which tampered off criticism that "Joker" may entice violence.

Some believe the film sympathized with the character too much. Phoenix even walked out of an interview, when someone asked if he believed the movie would incite violence. Phoenix had mixed feelings about being in a comic book movie and had previously passed on Marvel's "Doctor Strange."

The voting members for the Golden Globes are not also Academy members, so the results don't directly impact the Oscar' results. However, Phoenix's win is a big boost for him. A SAG Award win could also better his chances of winning an Oscar this year.
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