‘Joker’ Director Todd Phillips Celebrates Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar Win By Sharing ‘Bittersweet’ Photos

Joker may have only won two of the 11 Oscars it was nominated for, but they were big ones: Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix and Best Original Score for Hildur Guðnadóttir, making her the fourth female composer to win overall and the first to win for a dramatic score. All the awards affirmation (Phoenix and Guðnadóttir were also victorious at the Golden Globes) has Joker director and co-writer Todd Phillips in a nostalgic mood, as he shared some behind-the-scenes photos from the final day of shooting on Instagram.

“All of these were taken on our last day of shooting. It was bittersweet for sure — while it felt great to be done, we also had such an intense and unique experience — and then suddenly it just ends,” he wrote. “What a ride this film has been and it all culminated with watching Joaquin walk up on that stage this weekend. Thanks again to the entire cast and crew. And especially the fans, for seeing through all the noise and showing up.” Phillips also added the hashtag “#illtellyouwhatyouget,” a nod to what Arthur Fleck tells Murray Franklin before shooting and killing him (“You get what you fuckin’ deserve!).

The photos, all of which were taken from the Arkham State Hospital set, show an emotional Phoenix dancing, hugging, smoking, and looking generally menacing. Hopefully he turns down that intensity for his next project: Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon, where he reportedly plays an “artist left to take care of his precocious young nephew as they forge an unexpected bond over a cross country trip.” Look for it this year or 2021.