Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Joker at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday (Feb. 9) night.

This was Phoenix's first Oscar win and he gave a passionate speech about how grateful he was to be at the Academy Awards and about the current problems in our world.

"I'm full of so much gratitude right now," he began. "And I do not feel elevated above any of my fellow nominees or anyone in this room because we share the same love of film. This form of expression has given me the most extraordinary life. I don't know what I'd be without it."

The actor explained that his position has allowed him to use his voice for the voiceless.
"I've been thinking a lot about the distressing issues we're facing collectively and I think at times we're made to feel that we champion different causes, but for me I see commonality," he explained. "I think whether we're talking about gender equality, racism, queer rights, indigenous rights or animal rights we're talking about the fight against injustice."

By the end of his speech, Phoenix was teary-eyed and gained a standing ovation for his heartfelt speech.

Nominees in this year's category included: Antonio Banderas for Pain and Glory, Leonardo DiCaprio for Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood, Adam Driver for Marriage Story and Jonathan Pryce for The Two Popes.

Watch a clip of his acceptance speech, below.

2020 Academy Awards Red Carpet (PHOTOS)

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