Actor Joaquin Phoenix’s speech at the Golden Globes garnered almost as much attention as his performance in “Joker.” 

Phoenix took home the trophy for best actor in a drama, beating stars including Christian Bale and Adam Driver, but during his acceptance speech, he trailed off and used many profanities.

“Phoenix seemed to want to make a point. He wanted to show everybody what was wrong with the world, and that an awards ceremony was not going to get rid of the world’s problems. He showed the problems that we need to be focused on,” senior Sophia Giltner said. 

During his speech, Phoenix accused the Golden Globes of existing just for money, saying, “to my fellow nominees, we all know there’s no…  It’s this thing that is created to sell advertisements for the TV show.”

Phoenix was ultimately played offstage. During his speech, Phoenix talked about climate change, the wildfire in Australia and eating vegan. He then went on to thank Todd Phillips, the director of “Joker” and his fellow nominees. Some believe Phoenix could be doing this as a form of method acting.

“Preparing for one of his roles, he went on Jimmy Fallon and was incredibly awkward. Nobody knew he was preparing for the role, so they all just thought he was going crazy. It turns out he was preparing for a movie about how the press can damage celebrities,” senior Cole Bote said. 

Backstage, Phoenix ignored all questions from journalists about “Joker,” passionately discussing the Globes’ decision to serve a vegan dinner, according to CNN.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever eaten the food at this ceremony; I thought it was excellent. I was so moved by the decision to make tonight plant-based. It was such an important step,” Phoenix said. 

Phoenix said he hopes the rest of the awards shows this season follow suit. “Consuming animal products is no longer just a personal choice,” he said, before saying his publicist was signaling it was time to go home. “It is having a drastic, massive consequence on the rest of the world.”

“It’s wonderful that he is trying to make changes in Hollywood. He should not be shoving it down everyone’s throats, though. Saying that it’s not a choice to eat animal products is disrespectful and damaging to people who want to make a change,” junior Alanna Espinoza said. 

Phoenix was named best actor in a motion picture – drama at the 77th annual Golden Globes for his performance in “Joker.”