Actor Joaquin Phoenix effectively breathed a new life to the usually ill-perceived DC villain Joker in the 2019 thriller film, which earned him recognitions from different prestigious award-giving bodies. But did you know that in order to make the portrayal as good as we have seen it, the lead star had to make a lot of sacrifices?

The movie was no doubt one of the finest works of Joaquin, who we can all say gave his all to make the storyline all seem realistic. But, did he take his preparations too far?

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For those who have seen the film, you may have noticed how the star lost a significant amount of weight, leaving a lot of people to ask, is that even healthy? Apparently, the role of Arthur Fleck needed to be so thin, as requested by the director, Todd Phillips, a condition that Joaquin agreed with.

DC Comics fans would know Joker’s built made his mannerisms extra creepy and so, Joaquin needed to accomplish that. But don’t worry, he didn’t lose 52 pounds on his own, rather with the careful guidance of a doctor.

Shedding about 25 kilos should normally take around a year to happen, which means Joaquin’s feat may be called extreme. As expected, this affected not just his eating routine but his psychological health as well.

Joaquin admitted that he developed a disorder because of this. The 44-year-old further shared that everyday activities like climbing stairs had become a task that you have to think about first because of his exhaustion.

The star also said that the journey was the opposite of easy, so much so that he couldn’t watch food commercials just to curb his appetite. While he witnessed his anticipations about weight loss come to life, he also was surprised to find out that it can also bring good things – fluidity, which enabled him to move in ways he never could before, he said.

While experts have, time and time again, advised against doing this, many actors have chosen to sacrifice their bodies just for a role.

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