Joaquin Phoenix vows never to go on extreme diet for a role ever again

Joaquin Phoenix has vowed never to go on an extreme diet to lose weight for a role ever again.

Next month, the 49-year-old returns to screens for psychological thriller sequel Joker: Folie à Deux, where he reprises his role as Arthur Fleck, aka The Joker after playing the character in 2019.

After losing weight for both instalments of the film series, the Oscar-winning actor has vowed never to undergo extreme weight loss for a role again.

Speaking at the Venice Film Festival where the movie had its world premiere, and quoted by the Daily Mail, Phoenix said, "I'm not going to talk through specifics of the diet, because I just think nobody wants to hear that. But this time, it felt a bit more complicated just because there was so much dance rehearsal that we were doing, which I didn't have last time."

He acknowledged that, at his age, such extreme physical transformations might no longer be wise, saying, "I'm now 49, I probably shouldn't do this again. This is probably it for me."

Reflecting on the obsession that comes with drastic weight loss, Phoenix expressed regret over how much focus it had taken in his previous performance, saying "By the end of that run I was so sick of myself... because you just do what you're supposed to do."

Co-star Lady Gaga, who plays a music therapist Harley Quinn in the film, added, "When Joaquin was too hungry, we fed him blueberries."

Joker: Folie à Deux is due for release in cinemas on Friday 4 October.