In 2000, Phoenix co-starred in three films.
He made his first collaboration with director James Gray in The Yards.
The film follows the corruption in the rail yards of Queens.
Although failing to perform at the box office, The Yards was received with positive reviews.
That same year, Phoenix played a fictionalized version of Roman Emperor Commodus in the historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott.
The film was a massive financial and critical success, becoming one of the highest earning films of 2000, with a worldwide box office gross of $457 million and received universal critical praise.
The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
For his performance, which the critic Lisa Schwarzbaum described as "deliciously creepy perversity", Phoenix was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and received his first nomination for the Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor.
He and late brother River Phoenix became the first brothers to be nominated for acting Academy Awards.
To date they are the only brothers to hold this distinction.

Joaquin Phoenix later portrayed the conflicted priest Abbé de Coulmier in Quills.
Inspired by the life and work of the Marquis de Sade, the film premiered in the United States at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2000, and was a modest art house success grossing a total of $17 million at the box office.
It was received with critical praise, eventually receiving three Academy Award nominations at the 73rd Annual Academy Awards and The National Board of Review selected the film as its Best Film of 2000.
For his combined roles, Phoenix won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor and the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The following year, Phoenix starred in the satirical film Buffalo Soldiers (2001) as a U.S. Army soldier.
The world premiere was held at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival in early September.
However, because the film was a satire of the US military, its wider theatrical run was delayed by approximately two years because of the September 11 attacks; it was finally released on July 25, 2003.
Although the film was a box office flop, it was received with mostly positive reviews.
Film critic Roger Ebert praised Phoenix for his "spot-on performance".
Phoenix was nominated for the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor.

Phoenix also starred in M. Night Shyamalan's science fiction thriller Signs (2002).
Phoenix plays Merrill Hess, a former Minor League baseball player who, along with his older brother Graham (Mel Gibson), discovers that Earth has been invaded by extraterrestrials.
The film was a massive financial success, grossing $408 million on its $72 million budget, and was received with positive reviews.
Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers praised Phoenix's performance, writing "Phoenix registers impressively, finding the humor and the pain in this lost boy".

In 2003, Phoenix played the irresolute husband of a superstar-skater in It's All About Love, and voiced Kenai in the Disney animated film, Brother Bear.
The film grossed $250 million worldwide and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
He was replaced by Patrick Dempsey in the sequel Brother Bear 2.

In 2004, Phoenix paired with Shyamalan again, playing a lovestruck farmer in The Village.
It received mixed reviews but was a financial success, grossing $256 million worldwide on its $60 million budget.
For his second film that year, Phoenix starred in the drama film Ladder 49 as a Baltimore firefighter.
The film earned $102 million at the box office despite receiving generally mixed reviews.
Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the performances in the film.
Phoenix's final film of 2004 was Terry George's Hotel Rwanda, playing photographer Jack Daglish.
The film was a moderate financial success but was a cri
In 2000, Phoenix co-starred in three films. He made his first collaboration with director James Gray in The Yards. The film follows the corruption in the rail yards of Queens. Although failing to perform at the box office, The Yards was received with positive reviews. That same year, Phoenix played a fictionalized version of Roman Emperor Commodus in the historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott. The film was a massive financial and critical success, becoming one of the highest earning films of 2000, with a worldwide box office gross of $457 million and received universal critical praise. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. For his performance, which the critic Lisa Schwarzbaum described as "deliciously creepy perversity", Phoenix was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and received his first nomination for the Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor. He and late brother River Phoenix became the first brothers to be nominated for acting Academy Awards. To date they are the only brothers to hold this distinction. 
Joaquin Phoenix later portrayed the conflicted priest Abbé de Coulmier in Quills. Inspired by the life and work of the Marquis de Sade, the film premiered in the United States at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2000, and was a modest art house success grossing a total of $17 million at the box office. It was received with critical praise, eventually receiving three Academy Award nominations at the 73rd Annual Academy Awards and The National Board of Review selected the film as its Best Film of 2000. For his combined roles, Phoenix won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor and the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The following year, Phoenix starred in the satirical film Buffalo Soldiers (2001) as a U.S. Army soldier. The world premiere was held at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival in early September. However, because the film was a satire of the US military, its wider theatrical run was delayed by approximately two years because of the September 11 attacks; it was finally released on July 25, 2003. Although the film was a box office flop, it was received with mostly positive reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert praised Phoenix for his "spot-on performance". Phoenix was nominated for the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor.
Phoenix also starred in M. Night Shyamalan's science fiction thriller Signs (2002). Phoenix plays Merrill Hess, a former Minor League baseball player who, along with his older brother Graham (Mel Gibson), discovers that Earth has been invaded by extraterrestrials. The film was a massive financial success, grossing $408 million on its $72 million budget, and was received with positive reviews. Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers praised Phoenix's performance, writing "Phoenix registers impressively, finding the humor and the pain in this lost boy".
In 2003, Phoenix played the irresolute husband of a superstar-skater in It's All About Love, and voiced Kenai in the Disney animated film, Brother Bear. The film grossed $250 million worldwide and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He was replaced by Patrick Dempsey in the sequel Brother Bear 2.
In 2004, Phoenix paired with Shyamalan again, playing a lovestruck farmer in The Village. It received mixed reviews but was a financial success, grossing $256 million worldwide on its $60 million budget. For his second film that year, Phoenix starred in the drama film Ladder 49 as a Baltimore firefighter. The film earned $102 million at the box office despite receiving generally mixed reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the performances in the film. Phoenix's final film of 2004 was Terry George's Hotel Rwanda, playing photographer Jack Daglish. The film was a moderate financial success but was a cri
Joaquin Phoenix