Joaquin Phoenix admits he was ‘full of fear’ about giving Oscar acceptance speech

American actor Joaquin Phoenix is going into discourse about his historic Oscar win last year for the box office hit film, Joker.

Giving an interview to The Sunday Times, the Her star, 46, said he was ‘terrified’ about the idea of getting up on stage and giving an acceptance speech.

"I'll be honest with you here. I did not want to get up anywhere and do anything. I was not excited about the opportunity. It's just not who I am. I was full of fear," said Phoenix.

The Gladiator actor went on to say that he was "in that situation and there was a part of me that just wanted to say, 'Thanks so much, great, goodnight.' But I felt like I had to...If I'm up here, I can't just thank my mom."

Phoenix ended up delivering a powerful speech about injustices and animal rights as he accepted his award for Joker in 2020: "I have 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.”

“I think that's when we're at our best: when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for our past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow. When we educate each other; when we guide each other to redemption," he had said.