- In a new interview, Joaquin Phoenix said his brother, River, once told him, "You're going to be a more successful actor than I am."
- Phoenix and his family gave a rare interview about River, who died in 1993, with Anderson Cooper in a "60 Minutes" special in which they discussed the impact River's death had on them.
- The 45-year-old Oscar nominee said his brother "awakened something" in him after he one day excitedly came home and told him to watch Martin Scorcese's "Raging Bull."
- The actor also said that 26 years after River's death he still felt a connection to his brother in every movie he'd made.
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River Phoenix once told his brother, Joaquin, "You're going to be a more successful actor than I am."
Joaquin Phoenix spoke candidly in a "60 Minutes" episode that aired Sunday night about the profound influence River, who died in 1993, had on his personal and career development.
Anderson Cooper said that during his time chatting with Phoenix, he learned how much of an influence River Phoenix was on the 45-year-old actor.
"River Phoenix comes back after shooting some film and sits him down and is like, 'You're going to be a more successful actor than I am, you're going to be better known than I am,'" Cooper said.
Phoenix went on to say in the episode that River Phoenix encouraged his acting career and "awakened something" in him.
He said that when he was a teenager, his brother excitedly came home and told him to watch Martin Scorcese's movie "Raging Bull" starring Robert De Niro.
"And through my brother and his understanding and appreciation of that kind of acting I think it just awakened something in me and I suddenly could see it through his eyes," Phoenix said.
River Phoenix, best known for his role in "Stand By Me," died of a drug overdose at just 23 years old in 1993 at the Hollywood nightclub The Viper Room during a night out with his brother and one of their sisters.
The usually private Phoenix seldom gives interviews about his brother, but at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year, he also shared details about how River Phoenix told him to start acting again.
"He didn't ask me — he told me," he said. "And I am indebted to him for that because acting has given me such an incredible life."
Phoenix also said during the "60 Minutes" interview that his brother's influence was ever-present even 26 years after his death.
"I feel like in virtually every movie that I made, there was a connection to River in some way," Phoenix said.
"And I think that we've all felt his presence and guidance in our lives in numerous ways."
Phoenix was recently awarded a Golden Globe for his standout performance in 2019's box-office smash hit "Joker," and now is in the running for an Oscar.
- Read more:
- Joaquin Phoenix will wear the same tuxedo for every awards show this year to 'reduce waste'
- Joaquin Phoenix scorned a journalist who asked him an old question about 'Joker' at the Golden Globes: 'I feel like I've talked about this for 6 months'
- Joaquin Phoenix credits his brother River for his acting career in an emotional speech: 'I am indebted to him'
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