Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix thinks awards can encourage "bad acting".

The 40-year-old actor - who has been nominated for five Golden Globe awards and three Oscars - admits receiving recognition has helped his career but thinks there is often a danger for people to seek out roles just for the "validation" of having their performance publicly commended.

He said: "Awards can do amazing things for an actor's career. The Oscars have completely changed my career for the better.

"There's also a danger that it becomes this thing, that you're constantly seeking this validation, that you're trying to do something to get a particular response. I don't like that type of acting ... Bad acting is being self-aware, being self-conscious."

The 'Inherent Vice' star also admitted he tends to avoid working on big blockbuster movies because he thinks they have lower standards than smaller movies which are not trying to appeal to the mass market.

He told the Guardian newspaper: "Obviously the more money at stake, the more expectations there are to make that back, right? So you start lowering your standards. You try to appeal to as wide a market as possible. I think that's why typically I haven't done bigger movies."

And Joaquin insisted he isn't interested in receiving awards and the only pressure he feels is to please his directors.

He said: "The only approval I seek is the director's. You want to get it right. You want to achieve what the director's vision is."


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