‘I still feel RIVER guiding me'

The Oscar nominee opens up about losing his famous sibling almost three decades ago

When Joaquin Phoenix was a young, aspiring child performer, his older movie star brother, River, told him, “You’re going to be a more successful actor than I am.” The heartthrob star of Stand By Me and My Own Private Idaho could tell even then that his little sibling was on track to become a star. And he was right.

Phoenix has starred in dozens of movies and is the odds-on favourite to win the best actor Oscar next month for his role in Joker – the same character that secured Heath Ledger a posthumous Academy Award 11 years ago.

Last week Phoenix opened up in a rare interview about losing River, who was aged 23, in a drug overdose almost 27 years ago.