Joaquin Phoenix says he won't direct a film just for the sake of it; admits he's ignorant about specifics of directing

Los Angeles: Joaquin Phoenix says that even though he has worked with some great filmmakers and has a unique perspective, he will not direct a film just for the sake of it. The Her actor was recently asked whether he would like to direct a film as he has already directed a number of music videos and produced films and television shows. “I wouldn’t do it just to do it. I imagine if there was a story that I felt like I had a unique understanding of, then maybe it’s something I would pursue, but I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve worked with really great directors, and I don’t know if I have that,” Phoenix, 43, told Collider. [caption id=“attachment_4436979” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] File image of Joaquin Phoenix. Reuters[/caption] “If you work with people that were mediocre, if you were on set with a bunch of mediocre directors, you’d probably be like, ‘I think I could probably do that’,” he added. He also admitted that despite having acted in so many films, he is quite ignorant about the specifics of directing. “I still, I don’t know, like when somebody calls out a lens size, I have no idea what that means. I don’t know how wide it is. I try not to pay attention to that part of it, as much as I try to stay inside the character,” Phoenix said. He was last seen in Lynne Ramsay’s thriller You Were Never Really Here, which earned him the Best Actor trophy at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. The actor will next be seen in biblical drama Mary Magdalene and Gus Van Sant’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot.