Joker Star Joaquin Phoenix Has A ‘Filthy’ Name For Ladylove Rooney Mara

Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara’s private love affair can get very fiery and 'filthy'! The actor who has become the highlight of tinsel town with his note-worthy performance as Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips’ Joker showed the ‘naughty’ side to his very private life when delivering a speech at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Tribute Gala.

Delivering a speech which he said he thinks he didn’t earn, Phoenix said, "I don't know who's really giving me this award, who's responsible for this or why," he told the crowd. "And frankly,  I don't care. My publicist said somebody wants to give you an award and I said, ‘I'm in. Let's do it.'"

The 44-year-old then went to on to thank his family—his sisters, his parents, his late brother River Phoenix for the rise of his career. "When I was 15 or 16, my brother River came home from work and he had a VHS copy of a movie called Raging Bull and he sat me down and made me watch it’’

 "And the next day he woke me up and he made me watch it again. And he said, ‘You're going to start acting again, this is what you're going to do.' He didn't ask me, he told me. And I am indebted to him for that because acting has given me such an incredible life’’ Phoenix said via Variety.

The actor however did not put a stop to his speech without mentioning a bit of his ladylove, Rooney Mara. Teasing his ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ girlfriend who was seated in the audience, Phoenix continued,

"One last thing, somewhere here, I don't know where, is a filthy dragon, and I want to rip its wings off and fasten a blanket and sleep with it forever," he said. "I love you. Thank you."

HIGHLIGHTS

• Joaquin Phoenix was making a reference to Mara’s 2011 crime thriller, ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’
• Weeks earlier, Rooney accompanied her love at the 2019 Venice Film Festival premiere of his upcoming flick, Joker