The Acolytes

The Acolyte

"...and one thing that we uh -- 

that Joaquin came up with 

and found was, um  

--for a lot of these Sailors 

that had been in The War, 

that when they came 

back from The War, 

they felt very aimless, 

because they didn't have 

any Commander anymore.

You know, that they 

LIKED being in....

They enjoyed the the part of The Military 

that was very structured, that 

gave them A Commander, 

that if they had A Commander 

that they connected to, they 

Liked very much, they really 

liked working for them, 

they liked being guided --

And to come back to ‘Reality’ 

and real -- or not 'reality', 

but to come back to Home, 

and Life back here, to 

not have that, is 

very disorienting."

Joaquin gets defensive.

By Antoinette Bueno

Published: 10:18 AM PST, 

November 12, 2014

Though the typically reclusive Joaquin Phoenix rarely talks about his unconventional upbringing, the Oscar-winning actor gets candid with Playboy Interview about his experience being born into the Children of God cult, as well as his infamous 2009 Late Show with David Letterman appearance.

Joaquin's parents joined the controversial religious group Children of God in the early 1970s and traveled throughout South America along with him and his siblings -- including the late River Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose in 1993 -- but left when they became disenchanted with the group.

"When people bring up Children of God, there's always something vaguely accusatory about it," the Her star, now 40, tells the magazine. "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."

"I think my parents thought they'd found a community that shared their ideals," he further explains. "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."

Joaquin also comments on his 2010 faux documentary I'm Still Here, in which he pretended to reinvent himself as a rapper. This being the notoriously intense Joaquin, he took it to the next level by making one of the most bizarre appearances ever on Late Show with David Letterman, which lots of people didn't take too kindly to.

"David Letterman was not in on the joke," he reveals. "But look, David Letterman is one of the smartest guys on television. There's no way that guy doesn't know what's going on in some way. That's what I'll say about it."

Despite the controversial reception to the Casey Affleck-directed film, he calls the entire experience "liberating."

"Unlike when you’re acting and everyone is there to support you and you can do take after take, when I did those live music shows and the movie, the safety net wasn’t there," he says. "I can see how people felt like they’d been duped. I think I would have had a similar reaction. I totally understand people getting defensive and scared because they don’t want to be taken advantage of. I think now everyone knows it was never our intention to attack people. We were clearly attacking ourselves."

As for his trouble dealing with fame, Joaquin compares it to being an attractive woman.

"I think I know what it's like to be an attractive woman," he says. "I think that's basically what the experience [of fame] is, right? But that sycophantic energy is uncomfortable to be around. Nobody wants to experience that."

Though as he gets older, Joaquin admits he feels like he knows less and less.

"All I know is that I’ve been fortunate, and my good fortune continues," he reflects. "Other than that, the older I get, the more I know that I don’t f**king know anything at all. .... I'm trying to get better at being open to the mystery of it all."

Playboy Interview's December issue hits newsstands this Friday.

The Search for Family

THERE WILL BE BLOOD | The Search for Family

Put. That Coffee. DOWN.

Coffee's for Closers, only.

Alec Baldwin Glengarry Glen Ross Speech

Daniel Plainview :

Get out of there! 

 Can I Help You? 

Henry :

 Daniel?

Daniel Plainview :

Who's that? 

Henry :

My Name is Henry. 

Daniel Plainview :

Yeah? 

Henry :

 I'm Henry. 

Daniel Plainview :

 What can I do for you? 

Henry :

I'm Henry Plainview. 

I'm from Fond du Lac. 

 I'm Your Brother, 

from Another Mother. 

 Ernest is My Father. 

Daniel Plainview :

 Who are you? 

Henry :

 Henry.

Daniel Plainview :

Mary Branch? 

Is that Your Mother?

Henry :

Yes, sir, that's right. 

 I read about Your Gusher 

in The Paper, about 

Your Success. 

Daniel Plainview :

 You heard about my strike? 

You just show up? 

Henry :

 Our Father's Dead. 

 Ernest Died, I heard. 

I wanted to find you. 

Daniel Plainview :

 When? 

Henry :

 Three months ago. 

I got a letter from Annabelle. 

Daniel Plainview :

 My Sister, Annabelle? 

Where is she?

Henry :

Still at Home. 

Fond du Lac. 

Daniel Plainview :

 You came all the way 

from Wisconsin 

to tell me this? 

Henry :

I'm coming from New Mexico. 

I've been there. I came to find you. 

 Did you know about me? 

Daniel Plainview :

 Do you have Identification? 

 Do you have this letter?

Where are you coming from? 

Henry :

From New Mexico. 

Daniel Plainview :

 Yes, I know, but from where? 

Henry :

 Silver City. I've been there for two years. 

I was trying drilling of my own for years.

Getting leases in Texas. Louisiana. 

Daniel Plainview :

Anything that produced? 

Henry :

 No. Not like Your Success, no. 

Daniel Plainview :

Are you married? 

Henry :

No. I spent time in jail. 

I had a stretch of very bad time. 

I had nothing. I was picked up in Louisiana. 

I worked on a chain gang 

for six months building roads. 

 That was a very hard time. 

 Are you married? 

Daniel Plainview :

 What were you in jail for? 

Henry :

Believe it or not, for all 

the terrible things I've gotten myself into, 

 when they picked me up, 

I hadn't done anything. 

Henry :

 But I've done my share of things 

 that shouldn't be talked about. 

Daniel takes a milkbottle, fills it 7/8ths up with whiskey, tops it off with milk, and then forces his deaf son to drink it in one --

 Drink it. Drink it! Come on. 

Now Daniel and Henry 

can talk in Private --

Daniel Plainview :

 So... What do you want, Henry? 

Henry :

 Nothing. If you can spare something, 

I can work for you in any way. 

I know I'll keep moving, before long, 

to get back to Fond du Lac. 

Daniel Plainview :

Do you have any money? 

Henry :

Some. Not much. 

Daniel Plainview :

Just answer me directly. 

 You say "nothing," then you say 

you'd like to stay and work. 

And it's better, I'd just like 

to hear you say you'd like to be here. 

Henry :

I'd like to be here. 

I'm a good worker. 

I worked cable tool rigs, built railroads. 

I won't need any favours. 

Daniel Plainview :

 Good. What did My Mother know? 

Henry :

I don't know. I don't know if she knew 

and looked the other way, 

if she never knew. 

 Why did you leave? 

 I know you didn't get on 

with Our Father. 

 

Daniel Plainview :

I worked for The Geological Survey 

and went to Kansas. 

I couldn't stay there. 

I just couldn't. 

 I don't like to explain myself. 

Are you an angry man, Henry?

Henry :

About what? 

 Are you envious? 

Do you get envious? 

Henry :

I don't think so, no. 

Daniel Plainview :

I have a competition in Me....  

I want no one else to succeed. 

I hate most people. 

Henry :

That part of me is gone. 

 Working and not succeeding, 

 all my failures have left me... 

I just don't care.

 

Daniel Plainview :

 Well, if it's in me, it's in you. 

 There are times when I look at people 

and I see nothing worth liking. 

I want to earn enough money, 

I can get away from everyone. 

Henry : 

What Will You Do 

about Your Boy? 

Daniel Plainview : 

I don't know. 

Maybe it'll change. 

 

Does Your Sound 

come back to you?

I don't know. 

 

Maybe no-one knows that.

Doctor might not know that. 

 

Henry :

Where's His Mother? 

Daniel Plainview : 

I don't want to talk 

about Those Things. 

 

I see The Worst in People, Henry. 

I don't need to look past seeing them 

to get all that I need. 

 

I've built-up my hatreds 

over the years, 

little by little. 

 

Having you Here gives me 

a second Breath of Life. 

 

I can't keep Doing This 

on my own with 

these people. 

Henry : 

Daniel! 

Daniel, wake up! 

Daniel! 

Daniel Plainview : 

Just have to Go and Have a Word 

with The Conductor. 

I'll be right back. 

You stay here. You understand? 

You stay here. I'll be right back. 

 

 

No! No! No! 

Tilford!

 

Plainview. 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

This is My Brother, 

Henry Plainview 

from Fond du Lac. 

 

H.M. Tilford. 

 

Pleasure. Henry Plainview. 

J.J. Carter. So... 

Shall we?

Tilford, of Standard Oil : 

Yes. How's your boy? 

Daniel Plainview :

Thank you for asking. 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

Is there anything we can do? 

Daniel Plainview :

 Thanks for asking is enough. 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

 So what are your plans? 

Daniel Plainview :

Is this about buying up my tracts here? 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

 Yes. 

Daniel Plainview :

The Cable was about my Coyote Hills lease.

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

We'd like that, too. 

Daniel Plainview :

What's your offer on Coyote Hills?

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

We'll offer $150,000 for full title. 

Daniel Plainview :

That's A Deal. What's next? 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

 You have 11,000 acres in Little Boston. 

You have one proven well that was damaged... 

 

Daniel Plainview :

I have three wells proven. 

You haven't been

Paying Attention. 

That's three proven wells.

Tilford, of Standard Oil : 

 We'll make you a millionaire while you're sitting here 

from one minute to the next. 

 

Daniel Plainview :

And what else would I do with myself? 

 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

Are you asking me?

 

Daniel Plainview :

What else would I do with myself? 

 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

Take Care of Your Son...?

I don't know what you would do. 

 

Daniel Plainview :

If you were me and Standard offered to buy 

what you had for a million dollars, why? 

So, Why? 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

You know why. 

Daniel Plainview : 

Yeah, you fellas should just 

scratch around in The Dirt 

and find it like the rest of us, 

instead of buying-up 

Someone Else's Hard Work. 

 

 Tilford, of Standard Oil :

I've scratched around The Dirt, Son. 

 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

You going to change your shipping costs? 

 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

We don't dictate shipping costs. 

That's railroad business. 

 

Daniel Plainview :

You don't own the railroads? 

 'Course you do. Of course you do. 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

 Where you going to put it all?  

Where? Build a pipeline? 

Make a Deal with Union Oil? 

Be My Guest. 

 

But if you can't pull it off, 

you've got an ocean of oil 

under your feet with 

nowhere to go. 

Why not turn it over to us? 

We'll make you rich. 

You spend time with Your Boy. 

 

It's a Great Discovery. 

 Now, let us help you. 

Daniel Plainview :

Did you just tell me how to run My Family? 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

It might be more important, 

now that you've proven the field 

and we're offering to buy you out.

  

Daniel Plainview :

One night I'm going to come to you, 

inside of Your House, 

or wherever you're sleeping, 

and I'm going to cut your throat. 

Tilford, of Standard Oil : 

What? What are you talking about? 

Have you gone crazy?

Daniel Plainview : 

Did you hear What I Said?

 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

I heard What You Said -- 

Why did you say it?

 

Daniel Plainview :

You don't tell me about My Son. 

Tilford, of Standard Oil : 

Why are you acting insane and 

threatening to cut my throat? 

Daniel Plainview : 

You don't tell me about my son.

 

Tilford, of Standard Oil :

I'm not telling you anything! 

I'm asking you to be reasonable. 

If I've offended you, I apologize. 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

You'll see What I Can Do. 

 

This parcel here is the 3,000-acre ranch owned by B.L. Harper. This is San Luis Obispo County land. 

 And from here to the coast, it's all Union Oil. 

Daniel Plainview :

 What's this? Why don't I own this? 

Why don't I own this!? 

 

That's the Bandy tract. 

He was The Holdout, when we were doing The Buying.  

He had hoped to Speak with You. 

Can't you just build the pipeline around this tract? 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

Can I build around 50 miles 

of Tehachapi mountains? 

Don't be thick in front of me, Al.

 

I can go to him again. 

Daniel Plainview : 

No, I'll Go and Talk to The Man. 

I'll Talk to Him. Show you How It's Done. 

All right. Pack it up, Henry. 

 

Daniel Plainview :

How big is His Room? 

 

 

He's sharing with another boy. 

 

Daniel Plainview :

Who?

 

An older boy. About 12. 

He's been there for a year. 

Named Ballard.

Daniel Plainview : 

How big is The Room? 

 

It's a fair size. 

Got enough space. 

.....are you taking Henry 

with you to meet Union Oil..?

*****

Daniel Plainview :

Are you the son of William Bandy? 

Bandy : 

Grandson. 

Daniel Plainview :

Is he here? 

Bandy :

No, he's out. 

 

Daniel Plainview :

Where is He? 

 

Bandy :

Told you, He's out. 

Now, what do you want? 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

I'm Daniel Plainview. 

I want to Talk with Him about 

His Property. 

 

About what? 

Daniel Plainview :

I believe I'll talk with him about that.

You're that oilman, aren't you? 

Daniel Plainview :

That's right. 

 We don't want you drilling out here. 

Daniel Plainview :

I don't want it either. 

Now, when will he be back? 

 Few days. 

Daniel Plainview :

 Tell him I'd like to speak with him. 

Not about drilling. 

 And I'll be back in a week. 

*****

Daniel Plainview :

 Put that in a glass case. 

 Here's to Union Oil. Hundred miles of pipeline, 

 and all the independent producers 

of this great state. 

Cheers. 

 

Daniel Plainview : 

There's that house in Fond du Lac 

 that John Hollister built. 

Do you remember it?  

I thought as a boy that was 

The Most Beautiful House 

I'd ever seen, 

and I wanted it. 

 

I wanted to Live in it. 

And eat in it. And clean it. 

 

And even as A Boy, 

I wanted to have children 

to run around in it. 

Henry : 

You can have anything 

you'd like now, Daniel. 

And you should.  

Where are you going to build it?

Daniel Plainview : 

Here, maybe. 

Near The Ocean. 

 

Henry :

Would you make it 

look like That House? 

 

Daniel Plainview :

I think if I saw That House now, 

it'd make me sick. 

 

Henry :

We can eat and get some women. 

Take them to the Peachtree dance. 

I say get liquored up 

and take them to the 

Peachtree dance. Yeah. 

  

Can I have some money -- please? 

*****

 

Daniel Plainview :

I want you to tell me something. 

 

Henry :

What? 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

What's the name of the farm 

next to The Hill House? 

 

What was the name of the farm, 

next to the Hill House? 

 

Henry :

I can't remember... 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

Who are you? 

 

 

 Henry :

I'll leave, Daniel. 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

Who are you? 

 

 Henry :

I'm No-One. 

Just let me get up and go. 

 

 Daniel Plainview :

Do I have A Brother? 

 

Henry :

I met A Man in King City 

who said He was Your Brother.  

We Were Friends for months. 

Working in King City. 

And he wanted to make 

his way to you, Daniel. 

 

We didn't have any money. 

He died of tuberculosis. 

 

He wasn't harmed. 

Wasn't killed, nothing bad. 

 

But he told me about you, 

and I just took His Story, 

used His Diary. 

 

Daniel. Daniel, I'm Your Friend. 

I'm not trying to hurt you. Never. 

Just Survive. 

 

 

No!