Joaquin Phoenix honored his late brother River Phoenix during his acceptance speech at the Oscars
While accepting the best actor Oscar for his performance in Joker, Phoenix touched on a number of issues including cancel culture, animal activism, racism and gender equality before quoting a song lyric written by his brother, who passed away from a drug overdose outside Los Angeles' famed Viper Room in 1993 at the age of 23.
"I've been a scoundrel all my life. I've been selfish. I've been cruel at times, hard to work with, and I'm grateful that so many of you in this room have given me a second chance," he said. "And I think that's when we're at our best, when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes, but when we help each other grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other towards redemption. That is the best of humanity.
"When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric," he continued. "He said, 'Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.'" This wasn't the first time the award-winning multi-hyphenate has given his brother a sweet shout-out during awards season; he also credited River with persuading him to return to acting while accepting the TIFF Tribute Actor Award in Toronto in September.
River Phoenix was a singer-songwriter and guitarist, and formed the band Aleka's Attic, which his sister Rain eventually joined, in the 1980s.
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