WWW - Is Joaquin Phoenix's latest role dredging up unhappy memories?
Sources on the set of "Walk the Line," the Johnny Cash biopic starring Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, told us that Phoenix recently broke down on the set and began banging his head against a wall before being carted off in an ambulance - because of a scene that recalled a death in the family.
Joaquin's older brother, actor River Phoenix, died at 23 of a drug overdose outside an L.A. nightclub in 1993 when Joaquin was 19.
We hear that the flick's references to the horrific death of Cash's younger brother Jack in an electrical tool accident sparked Joaquin's freakout.
Joaquin's publicist denied any rumblings of a breakdown, but our sources say the set is buzzing with rumors that the location may have to be switched from Memphis to Hollywood to make Phoenix more comfortable.
Meanwhile, a different version of the life of the Man in Black will be making its way out of Tennessee and into Times Square. A musical biography of Cash titled "Ring of Fire" will embark on a national tour in fall 2005 followed by a 2006 opening on Broadway.
