During "Walk the Line," Phoenix took months to learn how to sing and play the guitar. He took it one step further when he asked the entire set to call him JR, Johnny Cash's real name.
"I'm embarrassed about it now," Phoenix told EW. "But when I heard "Joaquin" it just didn't feel right."
Phoenix shared he gets attached to all of his roles.
”When I did Gladiator, I thought that I would carry a sword with me everywhere. When I did Ladder 49, I didn’t want to let go of my turnout gear, and I didn’t believe that I could go through life without smelling smoke.
Phoenix later convinced most of the world that he had gone a bit crazy and given up acting to become a hip-hop artist after "Walk the Line." It turned out, the entire bit was as he stayed in character for public appearances including his odd (reportedly staged) interview on Letterman.