Phoenix River He was an actor from a very young age, graduating from commercials to an early role in explorers In 1985, he accepted his outstanding performance in the stand by me At the age of sixteen. Phoenix continued its meteoric rise the following year with Fuel free He received an Academy Award nomination at the age of just 18 years old. Phoenix was, by then, a bona fide movie star, showing off his range by starring as a young Indy in the Spielberg/Lucas blockbuster. Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeHe then played a drugged young hustler opposite Keanu Reeves in The Movie My Private Idaho. His acting was very serious because of his James Dean looks, and his range spanned from strict studio films to the avant-garde.
The fact that his younger brother Joaquin Phoenix has reached the acting heights of his dreams is one of the many reasons we speculate about what it might have been if the young actor hadn’t overdosed on that fateful night outside the Viper Room. Living on the edge of a music-driven, heroin-infused Hollywood nightlife scene, River Phoenix found himself immersed in a world that Kurt Cobain also claimed a year later. The actor and musician were alike in their youth and stood out in their respective fields – and were admired for their sheer talents and willingness to bare their guts. Phoenix’s older brother would certainly be proud of what Joaquin has become, and speculating on how River might have landed roles in the years following his death is an irresistible exercise.
Here are 11 roles in which River Phoenix would have been great.
11 David Mills at Seven
Brad Pitt was deeply affected by River Phoenix, describing him as “the best of the young. I’m not saying it now – I said it before he died. He had something I don’t understand.” River and Pitt were about the same age and likely had been fighting for the same roles for years, but it was the role of Pitt that Phoenix would have played particularly well as David Mills in Seven. Phoenix possesses the gravitas that could have worked well for the character, if not for the overtly masculine Pitt brought to the role.
10 Troy Dyer in Reality Bites
Phoenix has occasionally excelled in comedy, with sport shoes Being a prime example, he was the perfect age to play Troy Dyer, Ethan Hawke’s character Reality bites, a comedy film directed by Ben Stiller about the relationships of twenty-somethings. Hawke was another actor who had as many auditions as Phoenix, and Phoenix liked to switch back and forth between studio films and indie experiences like this one, which originated from MTV. The Ben Stiller Show. The movie was a grunge-era, MTV-propelled decade Polaroid flick where Phoenix was at the forefront of creativity, and his presence likely made the movie even more of a classic.
9 Z kill Zoe
Always keen to work with independent directors in the ’90s, River Phoenix likely crossed paths with Roger Avary, who helped Quentin Tarantino write the script for Pulp Fiction Before his directorial debut, Kill ZoeHard-boiled heist movie. Phoenix could have easily transitioned into Eric Stoltz’s role as Z, a professional safe-cracker who travels to Paris to help rob a bank. The film has all the characteristics of Avary’s collaboration with Tarantino, and would likely be better received, critically, with Gale’s talent as Phoenix in the title role.
8 Jeffrey Goins in 12 Monkeys
Another Pitt role that would have suited Phoenix perfectly was that of Jeffrey Goines in 12 monkeys, is an insane appearance of the character Bat, who encounters James Cole (Bruce Willis) in an insane asylum in Terry Gilliam’s post-apocalyptic sonnet. Phoenix had a particular affinity for slightly unhinged characters – a favorite of Gilliam’s, too, and would have been great as the anti-corporate and conspiratorial Goines. Phoenix showed some of this oddity in his country sport shoes role, the only young actor in a heavyweight cast including Robert Redford and Sidney Poitiers.
7 Romeo in Romeo + Juliet
Well, he’s a little old for Romeo Montague’s role in it Romeo + Julietbut River Phoenix and Leonardo DiCaprio had a similar attraction in the early parts of their careers, and with Phoenix’s youthful looks, he couldn’t have been cast opposite Claire Danes.
Another actor who admired Phoenix was DiCaprio, who had the unfortunate experience of being in the Viper Room the night the young icon died. the people Magazine “disappeared before my eyes.” Phoenix’s death reverberated throughout Hollywood, a tragedy fitting for Shakespearean drama for a role that Phoenix might have made immortal, had the world not been robbed of his talent so soon.
6 Kevin Lomax in The Devil’s Advocate
Taylor Hackford’s quote for a book about a law firm that happens to have the Devil (Al Pacino) as its chief partner, Devil’s Advocate He also cast Phoenix’s friend My Private Idaho Co-star Keanu Reeves co-stard in a role in which Phoenix would have likely outdone himself. Kevin Lomax is a talented young lawyer who is swept up in supernatural horror as Rosemary’s baby, setting a diabolical plot in downtown New York City. Phoenix would likely have been drawn to a script like this, and would have brought a much different physicality to Lomax’s role than the hulking Reeves.
5 Corporal Jeffrey Fife in the Thin Red Line
It is likely that Phoenix’s eagerness to work with critically acclaimed directors such as Terrence Malick led to his inclusion in The thin red linewhich saw a huge pool of acting talent in the 90s including Sean Penn Woody Harrelson. In terms of what role Phoenix could have played, Adrien Brody’s character, Corporal Jeffrey Fife, would likely be the perfect fit for Phoenix’s talents and ability to play with fear.
Brody was roughly the same age as Phoenix, and became the audience’s point of view at moments in the film, a space that Phoenix naturally filled in his films. The film’s focus on the youth of those soldiers who fought and died in the Pacific War and its beautiful inclusion of nature and atmosphere would have laid the perfect foundation for Phoenix’s acting talents.
4 Worm in Rounders
Phoenix would certainly have made a great worm, Edward Norton’s fantastic character are round. The Phoenix Experience playing trickster Mickey Waters in My Private Idaho Make him a sure bet to excel as the trick-and-treat duplex worm, just as much nemesis Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) as his loyal sidekick.
Although Worm is more villainous than most Phoenix roles, he could have made the character more likable than Norton’s amiable approach to the role. with all its might, are round Lacking a bit of the intensity of an actor like Phoenix, that probably helps it focus on the film’s most common focal points.
3 Bobby Kent in Bully
Given Phoenix’s work with director Gus Van Sant, seeing him jump into a ’90s Larry Clarke movie isn’t a stretch, and it’s likely he could have played several roles in the movie, including Bobby Kent (Nick Stahl).
This is another movie that doesn’t quite fit Phoenix’s age at the time, but the idea of ​​Phoenix teaming up with Clarke is exciting, as they were both pushing the boundaries of independent film in the ’90s. Stahl was almost swept away by a drug problem as well, having similarly shown great promise for Phoenix as a young actor. Fortunately, the actor has escaped his substance issues, and has recently returned with shows like Let the right one.
2 Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption
He was a little young for the role, but Phoenix displayed a lot of the same stupidity of Tim Robbins characters in the ’90s, and he could have made an interesting choice as Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption. Phoenix was exceptional at convincing a sense of pathos with his acting performance, which would have served as Dufresne, who becomes the whipping boy of Shawshank State Penitentiary until his accounting talents pave the way for his daring escape.
Sneaky Phoenix character Carl Arbogast from sport shoes Plenty of Dufresne’s unassuming wit is involved, and the idea of ​​Phoenix working against another generation’s talent like Morgan Freeman sends chills to the surface.
1 Randall “Pink” Floyd is dazed and confused
River Phoenix could have played several roles in Dazed and confused, but it would have been better if it was Randall “Pink” Floyd. Not that Jason London performed poorly in the film, but there was always an ambivalence in the success of supporting actors like Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck as opposed to London. Bringing Phoenix into the role would have made the already timeless film an even bigger phenomenon.
Phoenix’s slim frame and long-haired appearance would have blended seamlessly with Richard Linklater’s vision, and would have given the film a bona fide movie star presence that would have made it a massive hit upon its release, rather than a cult film. became later.
