Joaquin Phoenix Spoke Honestly About His Parents’ Involvement With A Cult And How They Got Out

Joaquin Phoenix is one of Hollywood’s greatest actors of all time. He first gained prominence as a child actor and, as time went on, he gained recognition for his dark and unconventional roles in independent films, period dramas, and even horror movies. Throughout his career, Phoenix has won two Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He’s also been nominated for an Oscar on four different occasions.

Before he got his big break in Hollywood, Joaquin Phoenix had a rather unconventional upbringing. The Joker star and his siblings were raised in the Children of God, a religious cult that gained a lot of popularity in the late 60s and early 70s. Although the actor prefers to keep the details of his childhood private, Phoenix opened up about his parents’ involvement with this cult and how they got out in a recent interview.

Joaquin Phoenix And His Siblings Were Raised In A Cult, Children Of God

Born in Puerto Rico in 1974, Joaquin Phoenix and his siblings were raised in a cult. Phoenix’s parents had joined the Children of God shortly after their second child was born. This religious cult, which branded itself as a church, preached that the end of the world was coming and encouraged his followers to live hand-to-mouth instead of planning for the long term.

The members of the cult were prohibited from working or sending their children to school. Because of this, Joaquin and his four siblings spent their early life moving around Latin America as his parents preached their religion. Of course, this made for a rather unconventional upbringing.

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Phoenix’s older siblings would often perform in the streets of Venezuela and Puerto Rico to attract people into joining their community.

“I would sing at jails with my sister and stand on street corners passing out literature containing uplifting messages about Jesus,” the Joker actor’s late brother River Phoenix once told the Chicago Tribune.

Given that the family was involved with the Children of God until 1977 when Joaquin was around three years old, the Joker actor doesn’t remember much about growing up in a cult. However, the actor has fond memories of his upbringing. “What I do remember the most about my childhood is my family always having fun,” Joaquin told America Reads Spanish.

“I love Puerto Rico, Miami, Costa Rica, where my father lives,” he continued. “I like to practice my Spanish every time I can. Either in the shoots when I am working with any actor who speaks Spanish or with members of the crew.”

Joaquin Phoenix Doesn’t Think His Parents Had Ill Intentions When They Joined Children of God

The cult of the Children of God earned notoriety for its sexual practices, as well as allegations of child abuse. As the years have gone on, many former cult members have opened up about the horrible things that were going on in their communities. However, Joaquin Phoenix has always defended his parents’ involvement with this cult, claiming that they had no ill intentions when they first joined the Children of God.

In a 2014 interview, Phoenix discussed his experience growing up in a cult.

“When people bring up Children of God, there’s always something vaguely accusatory about it,” he told Playboy (via Entertainment Tonight). “It’s guilt by association. I think it was really innocent on my parents’ part. They really believed, but I don’t think most people see it that way. I’ve always thought that was strange and unfair.”

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“My parents had a religious experience and felt strongly about it. They wanted to share that with other people who wanted to talk about their experience with religion. These friends were like, ‘Oh, we believe in Jesus as well,’” he further explained. “I think my parents thought they’d found a community that shared their ideals. Cults rarely advertise themselves as such. It’s usually someone saying, ‘We’re like-minded people. This is a community,’ but I think the moment my parents realized there was something more to it, they got out.”

In a 2019 interview for Vanity Fair, Phoenix explained that, at some point, his parents were “the archbishops” of Venezuela and Trinidad. However, they left the cult for good in 1977 after they learned about some of the cult’s sexual practices. “They got some letter, or however it came, some suggestion of that,” the actor explained, “and they were like, ‘F— this, we’re outta here.’”

Joaquin and River Phoenix Found Fame After Their Family Left the Children of God

After leaving the Children of God, the Phoenix family board a cargo ship to Miami. Eventually, they moved to Los Angeles, where both River and Joaquin were signed by an agent. Although River found more immediate fame, starring in films like Stand By Me and Explorers, Joaquin ended up becoming a more successful actor later in life.

As it turns out, River always knew that Joaquin was going to be more successful than him. “He suggested I change my name [back to Joaquin] and then, I don’t know, six months later, whatever it was, we were in Florida, we were in the kitchen, and he said, ‘You’re going to be an actor and you’re going to be more well known than I am.’ Me and my mom looked at each other like, ‘What the fuck is he talking about?’” Joaquin recounted in an interview for Vanity Fair. “I don’t know why he said that or what he knew of me at the time. I hadn’t been acting at all. But he also said it with a certain weight, with a knowing that seemed so absurd to me at the time, but of course now, in hindsight, you’re like, ‘How the fuck did he know?’ ”

While Joaquin went on to become an award-winning actor, River Phoenix died of an overdose at age 23.

Source: NewsFinale