Joaquin Phoenix has been acting since he was a child, and has appeared in many films. But it was his outstanding 2019 performance in Joker that really propelled him into the Hollywood stratosphere. Both critically and commercially acclaimed, his performance garnered him an Oscar for Best Actor and the film had 11 Oscar nominations in total.

Related: Here's Why Joaquin Phoenix Honored His Brother During His Oscars Speech

It would seem Joaquin could have his pick of new roles, yet he has preferred to keep a low Hollywood profile, devoting his time to causes that mean something to him instead. So, what has Joaquin been up to since Joker? Known for being an animal lover, environmentalist and philanthropist, Joaquin has been busy raising awareness on causes close to his heart, as well as welcoming a new member to his family. Let's take a look.

10 Celebrating Vegan Style

The first thing Joaquin did after winning his Oscar and delivering his inspiring speech was to find a vegan burger outlet and celebrate alongside his partner, Rooney Mara, with some vegan burgers.  Joaquin has been vegan since he was three years old, after witnessing first-hand animals being brutally killed for food aboard a cargo ship. He has since campaigned against cruelty to animals and the meat industry and is passionate about the cause.

9 'Gunda'

This independent film co-produced by Joaquin is a documentary focusing on the sentient nature of animals. It follows the titular character, Gunda, a sow, and her piglets, plus two cows and a one-legged chicken. It is directed by vegan Russian director Viktor Kossakovsky and Joaquin describes it as: "a mesmerizing perspective on sentience within animal species normally - and perhaps purposely- hidden from our view."

8 Regan Russell

Joaquin has been vocal about the death of Regan Russell, an animal rights campaigner and activist who was run over and killed by an animal transporter. She was protesting about a slaughterhouse in Ontario, Canada, and Joaquin has since joined her family and friends in a vigil by the same slaughterhouse to honor her memory and to support other activists.

Related: Is This The Reason Joaquin Phoenix Became Vegan?

7 Green New Deal

Joaquin has publicly supported the Green New Deal campaign that calls for public policy to address climate change along with other social aims, such as reducing economic inequality. Joaquin introduced and endorsed candidate Angelica Dueñas and described her as "a mother, an educator and activist [...] and someone fighting for a more sustainable and equitable future." He is passionate about the climate crisis and describes it as something that "will affect everyone."

6 'The Only Cure Is Kindness Campaign'

Joaquin has been showing public support for Animals Asia, an organization that works to end the bear bile trade, which sees over 10,000 bears, mainly moon but also sun and brown bears, kept in bile farms across Asia. They have rescued over 600 bears to date. Their latest campaign to raise awareness is the 'The Only Cure Is Kindness Campaign' and Joaquin is featured on their website sporting one of their campaign t-shirts.

5 Family Separation

Joaquin and Rooney have been vocal about how they feel about the hundreds of children still separated from their families at the US border. They wrote an article for People magazine detailing how many children are still separated from their parents who have yet to be located. The number is 545.

4 He Had A Son

The issue of the welfare of children perhaps even more close to his heart as Joaquin is now a father. He and Rooney welcomed a little boy late last year and named him River, after Joaquin's late Hollywood actor brother, who died in 1993 at the age of  23 from a drug overdose.  He has other siblings, sisters Rain, Liberty and Summer. Rooney and Joaquin have been dating since 2016  and are currently engaged.

3 Feed A Million

Joaquin and Rooney lent their support to Beyond Meat's Feed A Million+ campaign last year. They released the news on Beyond Meat's Instagram stories. The clip was also shown on The Hollywood Reporter. In the video, Joaquin said: "We’re so grateful to partner with Beyond Meat’s Feed a Million campaign to support individuals and communities experiencing food insecurity.”

2 Spotted In Canada

Joaquin and Rooney were spotted in Canada last November, along with their son, River, when they called into a vegan restaurant to thank them for the delivery they had received the day prior. The restaurant in Toronto, called Animal Liberation Kitchen, had delivered Joaquin's favorite Smokey Mac and Cheese. He liked it so much, he called in personally the next day to thank them and to order more food. He was wearing a hoody with 'Toronto Pig Save' on it, which is another organization he supports.

Related: Joaquin Phoenix Has Convinced Lena Dunham To Become A Vegan

1 More Movies In The Works

Joaquin will soon be back to doing what he does so well, making movies. He was recently in the short film Guardians Of Life about wildfires and climate change. The film also stars Oona Chaplin, Rosario Dawson and Matthew Modine. He is in upcoming movie C'mon C'mon written and directed by The Beginners' Mike Mills and is also signed on to play Napolean Bonaparte in the movie Kitbag, which will see him reunited with Ridley Scott who he worked with in Gladiator.

Next: How Harvey Weinstein Manipulated Hollywood Into Giving Him An Oscar