It’s not just his ‘facial difference!
Joaquin Phoenix and his trademark scar.
Denies his Cleft Lip
Actually, Phoenix has created controversy about his lip. He says something–but not a “cleft”–just happened when his mother felt pain at one point during her pregnancy. (Fellow actor Stacey Keach “owns” his cleft.) If “something happened to Phoenix’ mom, this had to have been around the 6th week when most cleft lips and palates form. Many doctors feel that his famous scar is from a microform cleft lip, also known as a “forme fruste.” Microform clefts are the mildest version of a cleft lip–essentially, they’re incomplete cleft lips.Unlike most cleft lips, the nose is usually normal with a microform cleft deformity.
Changes his name
Born Joaquin Rafael Bottom on October 28, 1974, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Phoenix changed his first name to Leaf at age four to more closely match his sibs’ nature names, River and Rain. Later on his family liked the name change idea and changed everyone’s last name to Phoenix, to symbolize their rebirth after leaving a cult. After some early screen credits using Leaf as a child actor, Phoenix changed his name back to Joaquin. (He made appearances on TV’s “Seven brides for seven brothers,” “Hill street blues,” and “Murder she wrote.”)
Refuses to watch his performances
According to insiders who’ve provided some of the info for this blog, Phoenix “refuses to watch any of his completed films. Even when he appears on a talk show and the host plays a clip of the film, the actor admits that he tries his best to ignore it and look the other way.” Could it be residual shyness due to early static about the microform cleft on his upper lip?
Has never married
Phoenix seemed so close to Reese Witherspoon in “Walk the Line” which details, among other things, Johnny Cash’s relationship to prisoners and prison life. And he absolutely fell for Scarlett Johansson’s voice in “Her,” but in real life he’s only come close to marriage once. That was with Liv Tyler in the 1990s. He found her genuine and very real. Allegedly they were engaged.
Hates cruelty to animals
He’s a vegan and requests faux leather garments from “wardrobe” when on set, according to sources for this and other Phoenixiana.
Not too keen on cruelty to humans, either
Huffington Post has reported Joaquin Phoenix is a board member of the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding.
Do any of these facts surprise you? If not, I promise you’ll be surprised by the secret facts I reveal in my next post.
My latest book, PRIVILEGED KILLERS, is a true story about a half-dozen Dark Triad people in my everyday life - narcissists, manipulators, and psychopaths. Three of 'em murdered people, and one came after my wife and me. Print and e-book versions of this (and CLEFT HEART) available at Amazon and elsewhere online. Also at your local bookstore.
Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers?
My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many
months of hard work due to no backup. Do you have any methods to
protect against hackers?
Try this WordPress plugin— Used by millions, Akismet is quite possibly the best way in the world to protect your blog from spam. Your site is fully configured and being protected, even while you sleep.
Has Joaquin Phoenix ever been in a real mental hospital because he played that Joker’s role way too well?
Great question! After filming the Johnny Cash movie, about the alcohol- and drug-addicted country star, Phoenix famously went into real-life rehab.So, he knows about “institutions.”
About the movie hospital, found this in Psych Today mag: ” In its long history, Arkham has always been a plot device. It has served to propel stories of terror, the supernatural, and, in Batman’s case, becomes a warehouse base of operations for various villains. A fictional character of dubious psychiatric realism, Joker belongs here. Arkham, after all, is a haunted house built for our entertainment; we just need to remember that there are real hospitals serving real people facing real problems in the real world.”
When I watched Joker I was very interested in Pheonix’s back and shoulder… I thought they cgi’d him to give him scoliosis. I recognised it because my brother has it, his rib cage sticks out just the same… turns out that is just Phoenix’s natural back, and because he lost so much weight anything unusual or different probably sticks out a lot more. Do you think there is anything unusual about his posture at all? My boyfriend disagrees and this all makes me feel like I’m going crazy!
You’re spot on, Ally. Here’s a quote from an expert:
As a curious Posture Doctor, I began looking for pictures of Phoenix’s posture, trying to work out what was wrong.
Pectus Excavatum
A sunken chest makes pectus excavatum one possible diagnosis. Abnormal growth of the sternum and ribs results in an inward appearance in the chest in children who have pectus excavatum. They also tend to have a hunched-forward posture, with flared ribs and shoulder blades.
Scoliosis
Another possible diagnosis is spinal scoliosis, or curvature of the spine. Affected children may have uneven shoulders, one shoulder blade that appears to be more pronounced or prominent than the other, and uneven hips.
Sprengel’s Deformity
The most likely diagnosis of Joaquin Phoenix’s shoulder problem (from pure observation) is Sprengel’s Deformity or high scapula.
Sprengel’s Deformity is a rare disorder present from birth, in which the shoulder blade (scapula) is too high on one side of the body.
… Sprengel’s Deformity can occur in association with other abnormalities.[Like his microform cleft lip? ] The exact, underlying cause of Sprengel’s Deformity is unknown.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Physical examination and a front to back chest x-ray, can be used to accurately diagnose Sprengel’s Deformity. The main treatment for Sprengel’s Deformity is surgery during childhood. Surgical treatment is primarily cosmetic or for severe deformity that greatly restricts shoulder mobility…
Here’s a link to pics of JP’s shoulders – https://www.google.com/search?q=&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CV6y1MuhlWPkImCqRZJtIe1sZIXLcnv2wPEqdvUeG2AiX6cscqvYHegWc63WFhhZt1qZx3fKuZ0LJrwNACaz5V33pX9GhRZCJ6wtxxMBE6JrCQ8mvOuMOKCqwt75kxrvJTznq9HCImSFtMQqEgmqRZJtIe1sZBEch5K6LYdcYyoSCYXLcnv2wPEqEalmtAJwIk3sKhIJdvUeG2AiX6cRFJ4Mu3a4yjgqEgkscqvYHegWcxFpsrhXBpwmtSoSCa3WFhhZt1qZERL-ZMycXDdhKhIJx3fKuZ0LJrwR2K3tN_1IB5J8qEgkNACaz5V33pRFCiyw03n4twCoSCX9GhRZCJ6wtEclw_1UxwleHDKhIJxxMBE6JrCQ8RPjZK4Fe3FWIqEgkmvOuMOKCqwhFUn-4b3BP3eioSCd75kxrvJTznEYPMD8L0ockKKhIJq9HCImSFtMQRpdzgNtR1M9xhfaZkZ_1_1dBSM&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjW4q6x-tTmAhVFgp4KHaniA00QuIIBegQIARAx&biw=1868&bih=945&dpr=1#imgrc=cMts1Uy719yGeM
The shoulder thing seems fairly pronounced even in the film posters which came out in 2002.
He has pectus. I have it as well and it’s really easy for me to notice.