Joaquin Phoenix on his new film 'You Were Never Really Here'

Joaquin Phoenix is receiving critical acclaim for his new role in director Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here.”

He plays a hit man with PTSD and suicidal tendencies. Phoenix talked about taking on the character in a recent appearance on “Popcorn with Peter Travers.”

“I think part of what was appealing were the possibilities of exploring something in the character that you don’t typically find in this genre,” Phoenix said. “There was an opportunity to kind of turn it on its head in a way, to find the tenderness, to find the humor. So there was something that was exciting about that process.”

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Phoenix was so intrigued by the script, he agreed to the role without meeting the director first.

“This was a fantastic script, but it also had the potential for something that I didn’t understand when I was reading it,” Phoenix, 43, told Travers. “And the idea of getting together with Lynne (Ramsay) and exploring it and talking about the possibilities is really tantalizing. I think that’s what probably excited me. It changes why you want to make a movie.”

When Travers asked Phoenix to look back on his film career, Phoenix said he’s critical of himself.

“It’s so exciting on set. I love being in movies so much. I guess watching it is just not satisfying. I can’t help but think I made a mistake,” Phoenix said. “Years later, I think back on movies that I made five years ago, I never feel like I come to a full understanding of the character. It’s something that I’m always trying to figure out, even sometimes after the movie is made.”

”You Were Never Really Here” is in theaters everywhere.

Be sure to watch the full interview with Peter Travers and Joaquin Phoenix in the video above.