Joaquin disappoints reporter

Joaquin Phoenix, notoriously cranky in interviews, set a new standard for surliness with Time Out New York's Laura Leu this week. When Leu asked by phone how he prepared for his role as a drug-addicted nightclub manager in We Own the Night, Phoenix responded, "I never prepare. I think that's completely overrated. It's a very simple job. All you have to do is...stand in the right spot and say the line. So I don't believe in preparation." When Leu pressed, "But you prepared for Ladder 49 by training with a fire academy," testy Phoenix replied, "I just said that because I thought it would sound good to the press. I don't know why it seems to be of note that actors do any kind of preparation. It's just what you're supposed to do in your [bleep]ing job. Do you think that because you did some research you deserve some special credit?" Then he hung up on her. Leu's editor said of the call, "Laura was really excited to interview him, but when he hung up on her out of the blue, she was disappointed. She was supposed to speak with him for half an hour, but was only given 10 minutes."

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