“As well as his talent and beauty, River was famous for seizing any opportunity to discuss vegetarianism and the environment with often bemused entertainment reporters. [Samantha Mathis] told me that, while River loved the work and the opportunities to talk about his beliefs, he hated the “industry bullshit”, and his relationship with success was complicated.” — The Guardian [Nov, 2019]
“We went to Tokyo for the premiere of Stand By Me… . He would go to the park outside the Imperial Hotel–guys and girls were playing guitars there–and he’d tell them, “Come up, come up to the room.” And that room was filled with kids from the park; he would play guitar for them and give them fruit and juice.”
—Iris Burton [Agent & family friend, on Japan visit, 1987]
“He was emblematic of a ‘new breed’ of man-sensitive and politically-minded with an air of integrity that only intensified his appeal to a generation of young men and women that chose to question the establishment instead of conforming to it.”
“The star of Stand By Me, The Mosquito Coast, Running on Empty and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is cast in I Love You to Death as a pizza maker who joins fellow cooks William Hurt and Keanu Reeves in staging attempts on the life of pizzeria owner Kevin Kline, on behalf of Kline’s jealous wife Tracey Ullman. While the picture sounds like a bizarre black comedy, Phoenix sees it as having an “emotional, even moral” resonance. Phoenix’s strong moral point of view can be explained by his “early childhood, growing up around people that were really humble, with a lifestyle that called for a lot of faith, without money…You couldn’t be an asshole.” —River of Dreams [Movieline, Dec 1989]
