6. In 2008 he announced his retirement.
Joaquin announced his retirement from his acting career to develop a new artistic side as a hip hop musician after his role in Two Lovers and after being nominated for 2 Oscars. This was later denied when he worked on a fake documentary titled I’m Still Here.
7. At age 6, he changed his name to Leaf.
The siblings of Joaquin all have names associated with nature: River, Freedom, Snow, and Autumn. He decided to change his own to Leaf at 6 years of age. It lasted until he was 16 when he wanted to start using his real name.
8. He worked as a firefighter for a whole month to practice for a role.
Joaquin played a firefighter in Ladder 49 who had to face a huge fire in order to save a friend. He served for a month with a real fire department as part of the research he did to bring this character to life.
9. He had to lose almost 45 pounds to play the Joker.
While he assumed that adding some weight would be the best thing to do for the role, Todd Phillips, the film’s director, persuaded him otherwise. He followed a strict diet that helped him lose nearly 45 pounds.
10. His brother, River Phoenix, also began working as an actor when he was a child.
The first member of the family to move into acting was River Phoenix. He was praised in Stand by Me for his performance and was later nominated for Running on Empty.
