Interview: Joaquin Phoenix Talks ‘Inherent Vice’ Deleted Scenes, Keeping His Characters Malleable, & His Signature Dukes-Up Knockout

“Alright, shoot. Kill.” There’s no question how Joaquin Phoenix feels about interviews and the added stress of awards season buzz, but as the actor strolls into recent LA roundtables for “Inherent Vice” without a publicist or handler, and leaves only once he feels the discussion start to fade, it’s clear his evasive reputation concerns the industry and not his craft. It also doesn’t hurt that Phoenix has yet another amazing project behind him, as he reunites with Paul Thomas Anderson after 2012’s “The Master” to tackle Thomas Pynchon’s '70s-set novel “Inherent Vice,” which we called “a hilarious…melancholy and intuitive stoner noir” in our review.

Condensing the film’s plot is a dangerous folly, but the “Walk The Line” actor factors in as Doc Sportello, a private investigator suckered by his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston) into investigating a real estate mogul’s disappearance. His drug-fueled journey away from the fictional Gordita Beach, California leads him into the...