“It's the character that you have to invest in, not yourself. I invest fully in the characters that I play. That's the only thing that gives me security. Not myself. Myself is a bum! Myself is nothing! I am a peon. I'm an idiot. I'm totally removed. I'm in the closet. I'm out of sight. You can't touch me. My character that I'm living takes me over for a while. I want to be able to believe these characters that I create.”

                                            River Phoenix – DETOUR July/August 1993