German TVdirect November 2002
The little brother of late actor River Phoenix made a remarkable career during the last years. > In 1995 he played side by side with Nicole Kidman in "To die for", he was oscar-nominated for his role in "Gladiator" and in the supernatural thriller "Signs" you could see him next to Mel Gibson. But Joaquin is never the shining hero.
Q: Whatīs wrong with you, Mr. Phoenix ?
JP: Even as a kid I wanted to be a dramatic actor like in Shakespeare. Everything is intense: extreme hatred, extreme lust, extreme love.
Q: Ray Elwood is also an anti-hero again., a drugdealer, corrupt, sly and pretty reckless.
JP: This is what stimulated me. Elwood is actually a pretty lousy character. Nevertheless he ought to be human. After Gladiator I had been searching for such a role a long time, something between drama and comedy.
Q: Are you yearning to play in a comedy ?
JP:I would have loved to play "Hansel" side by side with Ben Stiller in "Zoolander"
Q: "Army go home" takes place in originals settings, on a former US-base near Karlsruhe.What was it like in Germany ?
JP: Beautiful ! My sister has already been to Germany many times and she always told me about it enthusiastically. When we started shooting I was flipping out. I had nevers seen a pancer before! The people from that place grew up with that.
Q: Can a military-satire like "AgH" be commercialized in the USA today ?
JP: I think so. In Germany the time before the wall came down was a different one. The US army had other missions in those times.Since then the army has changed a lot.
Q: What are your next movie plans? Is it going to be comedy direction ?
JP: My next movie "IAAL" comes out in 2003. Itīs gonna be amix of many genres. Itīs a lovestory between Claire Danes and me in the NY of the future, a world that is going to pieces.