Joaquin Phoenix enjoys top billing in the firefighter saga “Ladder 49,” and that’s saying something, given that the 29-year-old actor stars opposite perennial A-lister John Travolta. Joaquin’s journey to the top of the Hollywood heap began in 1989 with a bit part in “Parenthood.” Back then, he was called Leaf, but known primarily as the late River Phoenix’s kid brother. His breakout role came in 1995, opposite Nicole Kidman and Matt Dillon in the dark comedy “To Die For.” He then appeared in “Inventing the Abbots” and “Clay Pigeons” en route to his Academy Award-nominated performance in “Gladiator.” The star sat down recently with a group of pens-for-hire to talk about his latest film.
QUESTION: Your name is above the marquee on “Ladder 49,” and with that distinction comes great responsibility. What sort of pressure, if any, are you feeling going in to opening weekend?
JOAQUIN PHOENIX: I really just wanted firefight-ers to be satisfied with this film and to feel it was an accurate depiction of their lives. If firefighters see this film, like it, and think that it’s authentic, well, that’s all we can ask for. That takes precedence over whether the film is considered financially or critically successful.
Q: What sort of reaction have you received from the firefighters who’ve screened the film?
JP: It’s been amazing to go to firehouses and meet these guys and have them come up, shake our hands and say “Thank you for making this movie.” I’ve never had that experience before in my life. No one has ever thanked me for making a movie.
Q: You’ve admitted to having a fear of heights. How did you get up the nerve to slide down those poles in the firehouse?
JP: I wish you could have seen Jay’s face when I went to the first firehouse, and I couldn’t get down the pole. He was like, “Who have I cast, and what are we going to do?”
Q: Did the rigorous firefighting training you went through help you to overcome that fear?
JP: You don’t overcome the fear, you learn to control it. That’s what the training is all about. Firefighters will tell you if you’re not scared, get out of the job. You have to have a level of respect for the fire, and the (other dangers) you’re dealing with. But you never get over the fear. It’s always there.
Q: You’ve spent a lot of time with real firefighters and their families. What impressed you the most about them?
JP: I was struck by the effect that the firefighters’ job has on their family, and by how brave the families have to be. In a sense, it’s more difficult to handle because (the families) don’t really know what’s happening at the fire scene. Some of the wives told me about how they would call the firehouse, and no one’s there, so they know they’re off on a run. And all (the wives) have then is their imagination, and many of them say it’s so hard not to imagine the worst-case scenario.
Q: It’s been reported that your suit caught on fire during the shoot.
JP: I guess it did. I didn’t really remember this, but it seems to be something memorable for a lot of people. I remember the embers hitting me in the face — that I remember. And I guess once the floor collapsed, the coat had caught on fire … but we always had at least five fire-fighters from the (Baltimore Fire Department) with us every day, and I felt really safe while I was working.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 1, 2004. Read the original PDF.