The Joker fame Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, two of Hollywood’s most acclaimed actors, are also one of the most low-key couples in town.
However, a handful of cozy and tender moments from their years-spanning relationship have made their way to eager fans, like the adorable moment when they locked their eyes at the Hollywood premiere of Joker on Saturday. Here are some highlights of this elusive relationship.
It was in June 2012. The 44-year-old actor first worked with Rooney Mara on the set of the science-fiction romance Her.
He played a writer who falls for Samantha, an artificial intelligence Operating System voiced by Scarlett Johansson – but not before his relationship with Catherine, played by Rooney Mara, comes to an end.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Joaquin Phoenix admitted that he thought Mara despised him while they were working together. He soon learned she is simply shy. “She is the only girl I ever looked up on the internet,” he told the magazine.
“We were just friends, email friends. I had never done that. Never looked up a girl online.”
“As you get older or whatever, you’re OK. You go, ‘Maybe it’s going to be a bad experience’ or ‘Maybe I am not going to enjoy it. And maybe I won’t have any of those connections, maybe I will feel just hollow afterward,” he added. “That’s OK.
Because I know that I have meaning in other parts of my life. And that’s really what sustains me. I enjoy it. I love my life. I f**king love my life.”
Last month, Phoenix was awarded the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival for Joker. While accepting the prize, the thespian revealed a rather unusual nickname he has for his fiancee.
“I don’t know who’s really giving me this award, who is responsible for this or why and frankly, I don’t care. My publicist said somebody wants to give you an award and I said, ‘I am in. Let’s do it,'” Joaquin said, according to media outlets present before adding, “One last thing, somewhere here, I do not know where, is a filthy dragon, and I want to tear its wings off and fasten a blanket and sleep with it forever. I love you. Thank you.”
Later in the month, Rooney Mara was by Joaquin Phoenix’s side for the Hollywood premiere of DC’s Joker. The actor wore a black suit and tie, while Rooney Mara chose a two-piece outfit featuring a black floral design.
