Actor Joaquin Phoenix recently opened up about his veganism, and how he won’t necessarily force the dietary practice on his son.
If not exactly reclusive as he once was, the intense, 46-year old “Joker” star rarely gives interviews, and details about his family life are often harder to find than the Arc of the Covenant. But he did share some thoughts with The Sunday Times on Sunday.
In the interview, Rivers delves into the parental decision to let his son Phoenix — born last September and named after his deceased brother — make up his own mind about whether to go vegan or not.
Phoenix did draw a hard personal line on the matter.
"I’m not going to indoctrinate him with the idea that McDonald’s have a Happy Meal because there’s nothing f— happy about that meal," he told the outlet.
The actor added: “I’m not going to tell him that it’s OK to read books about all the wonderful little farm animals, and they say ‘Oink oink oink’ and ‘Moo moo moo,’ and not tell him that that’s what a hamburger is."
Not unlike his quiet-then-explosive acting style, in interviews Phoenix jabs with contemplative then burly opinions. And as far as this vegan question, he wraps up the debate similarly.
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“So I’m not going to perpetuate the lie, but I’m also not going to force him to be vegan," he continued. "I’ll support him. That’s my plan.”
As any parent knows, a plan and what actually happens aren’t always the same thing.
Though reticent to play the celebrity game, Phoenix has a strong history of standing by his beliefs in public. Note his heartfelt Best Actor Oscar speech in 2020; or last November’s pre-election op-ed in People magazine from Phoenix and his actress wife, Rooney Mara.
Following up his Oscar win in the big hit “Joker” with a beautiful, near wordless indie documentary he produced (“Gunda”), Joaquin Phoenix continues to be nothing if not mysterious, a refreshing trait in an era of tell-all social media celebrity.
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