Joaquin Booked at Folsom State
Joaquin Phoenix is headed for the slammer. Voluntarily, mind you.
The Golden Globe nominee is set to attend a screening of Walk the Line at Folsom State Prison on Jan. 3, nearly four decades after Johnny Cash's infamous concert at the penitentiary.
The viewing was set up by the California Prison Fellowship, which partners with churches across the country to minister to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families.
"John believed in the power of redemption and offered his unique gift to anyone who needed to find it within them, and in the process, he inspired millions," Phoenix said in a statement. "I can think of no greater way to honor him than to carry on his legacy of using music to connect to all people."
That sentiment was echoed by Joe Avila, director of the prison fellowship. "We invited 20th Century Fox to screen Walk the Line at Folsom because the lesson of Johnny Cash is that it's never too late for a man to turn his life around, and that's a story these men need to hear," he said.
Avila hopes the film will inspire the prisoners in the same way the Man in Black's legendary concert did back on Jan. 13, 1968. Cash played for an audience of several hundred inmates, much to the dismay of his record label, after receiving thousands of letters from men claiming his music had helped, even inspired, their rehabilitation.
The ensuing live record, Johnny Cash at Folsom State Prison, was a huge hit for the late singer, and marked a pivotal moment in his career. His self-introduction at the gig--"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash"--became a trademark.
"The concert at Folsom was more than just a masterpiece for John, it was also an incredible nexus for a lot of things in his life," Walk the Line director James Mangold told Variety.
"Only 13 days before the concert, his previous marriage had completely dissolved, he was just kicking drugs, and it was the first time he was really able to look clear-eyed to June Carter as both a husband and father. And as an artist for the first time he was in control of the black horse that was dragging him down."
The concert was such a central event in Cash's life, that it bookends Walk the Line.
The biopic, which is closing in on $85 million in domestic ticket sales, is up for three Golden Globes on Jan. 16: Best Actor for Phoenix, Best Actress for Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash and Best Musical or Comedy.
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