Joaquin Phoenix Backtracks On His Controversial Oscar Comments From A Few Weeks Ago

Says he owes a lot to those awards.

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Complex Original

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A few weeks ago, Joaquin Phoenix absolutely trashed the whole concept of the Oscars by calling the awards “a carrot, but the worst-tasting carrot I've ever tasted in my whole life.” After his stellar performance in The Master, it was just assumed that Phoenix would be up for a nomination this year, at the very least, but these remarks were controversial enough to make some believe that the Academy would completely ignore him.

Well now, in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, the actor seemed to soften his stance by saying, ''But I know that first of all, I wouldn't have the career that I have if it weren't for the Oscars. I haven't been in a lot of movies that have made a lot of money … And getting nominated for a movie has probably helped my career tremendously. But in some ways it's the antithesis of what you want to be as an actor. You're always trying to free yourself of the artifice, which is really difficult. Especially when you suck, like me.''

When asked if he would attend the awards if he was nominated, Phoenix responded with, ''Come on man, you know that it's more complex than that. It's not like I f---ing hate the Oscars … It doesn't occupy my time to where I can build up hate.” He continued, ''What I was reacting to was sometimes the reverence that we have about these things. I don't want to revere it.''

We’ll see if these new comments can change the opinions of those in Hollywood who Phoenix rubbed the wrong way. Frankly, his performance was good enough that nothing short of a full-on racial tirade should eliminate him from contention.

RELATED: The Master Review

[The Sydney Morning Herald via The Playlist]

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