Life Lessons from River Phoenix

Welcome to Life Lessons. This week, we honor River Phoenix on what would have been the actor’s 51st birthday by revisiting his November ’91 cover story conversation with his close friend—and My Own Private Idaho co-star— Keanu Reeves. So sit back and soak up the ’90s nostalgia—you just might learn a thing or two.

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“It’s our responsibility to go as deep as we can and explore all the directions that might even be suggested in the script. Just so we have all the bases covered. Our research was extracurricular; it wasn’t necessarily needed.”

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“It’s brotherhood in the street, man. You all watch for each other’s backs. Because no one wants to see anyone get stabbed.”

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“Fuck them. That’s all I can say. A big capital F and U-C-K, and then THEM. T-H-E-M.”

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“I get negative shit all the time. I don’t care.”

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“Actually, I met Keanu through my ex-girlfriend Martha [Plimpton] while they were doing Parenthood—they were sucking face regularly.”

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“I was aware of how my narcolepsy would affect the narrative, how the random narcolepsy fits would affect the viewer. I’m glad that it didn’t turn out to be a tale through my narcoleptic vision.”

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“I have really strong feelings about the search for home and mother.”

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“Open eyes, open ears, a kid’s stream of consciousness. You know, the things kids do—like putting their fingers up strange pipings in the house or acting all soft because they’ve screwed up and Mom’s mad at them.”

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“Every morning, Matt [Ebert, My Own Private Idaho production assistant] woke us up by singing show tunes. […] But he had to drag me by the ear down to the van. I’m very stubborn about getting up in the morning.”

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“We’re great guys. We really are wonderful people. I think Keanu and I are the nicest guys on the planet—with the exception of George Bush and Ronald Reagan.”

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“The Lord Jesus Christ has given us a chance to be on top. So we’re not going to abuse it. We’re going to be very thankful for it and gracious about the luck that we have in our positions. We’re very lucky men. We do what we want, we get to be creative and make money.”

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“I want to buy a 16mm camera. I’m not committed to the idea of being a filmmaker, but I’d like to try some shorts. I really like documentaries. And I want to drive through the mountains where I used to live when I was doing this TV series [Seven Brides for Seven Brothers] when I was twelve.”