WALK THE LINE

Shooter Jennings Interviews - Joaquin Phoenix
The stars of the hit Johnny Cash biopic reveal how they brought the legend back to life.

Joaquin as John shares a laugh with Shooter as Waylon and other cast members during a light moment at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis.

Not long before the Nov. 18 nationwide premiere of Walk the Line—the highly anticipated movie about Johnny Cash—Shooter Jennings, who plays his late dad, Waylon, in the film, agreed to interview Joaquin Phoenix, who gives a phenomenal performance as Johnny in Walk.

In this Country Weekly exclusive, Shooter—whose dad was once Johnny's roommate—chats with Joaquin about overcoming his "debilitating fear" once he'd been cast, learning to play the guitar, revealing real-life moments with Johnny and his wife, June, and finding truth in his portrayal of an American icon.

Country Weekly Associate Editor David Scarlett facilitated the Shooter/Joaquin conversation and then David zipped to Los Angeles to interview Reese Witherspoon, who plays June in the movie. In addition to these two special interviews, our coverage of Walk the Line includes a piece on eclectic singer/songwriter Shelby Lynne, who plays
John's mother, Carrie; an "I Love My Country" column on page 69 featuring James Keach, the movie's producer; and the real story behind Joaquin, during filming, ripping a sink off the wall!

Published on: 12/01/2005