The story of the young Johnny Cash and his incendiary love affair with June Carter Cash, comes to life in WALK THE LINE, directed by James Mangold from a script by Mangold and Gill Dennis, based on Cash’s books Man in Black and Cash The Autobiography. The film was developed for seven years with the close cooperation of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash before their deaths in 2003. 
 

The story begins in Depression-era Arkansas , as the film traces the origins of Cash’s sound back to his beginnings as a sharecropper’s son; moves through his wild tours with rock and roll pioneers Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Waylon Jennings; and culminates in his unforgettable 1968 concert in Folsom Prison.  He became the hottest artist of the day, outselling even the Beatles. 

WALK THE LINE chronicles the birth of a new kind of American artist who had to move past raw anger, the ravages of addiction, and the temptations of stardom to discover the voice that would make him a hero to generations. Those early years encompass the themes that ran through Cash’s music and minimalist style: death, love, treachery, sin, hope and faith.

Phoenix pursing the role: 
Phoenix went with his gut.  “When I heard that James Mangold was directing a movie about the life of Johnny Cash, I wanted to do it without even reading the script,” the actor recalls.  “I just had a really good feeling about it, and I liked the idea of playing such a complex man who led an incredibly rich life.”

 

When the young J.R. Cash emerged from the Air Force into Memphis , Tennessee in the mid-1950s, there were no such things as rock stars.  All Cash wanted was for people to hear his songs and their stories of hard-luck characters seeking faith and redemption. Young, brash and on fire, Cash would become part of the birth of rock and roll.  He would influence many heart-on-the-line folk singers, truth-talking country artists and riled-up punk rockers. 

Reese on playing June 
“Playing June was a very emotional experience for me,” Witherspoon comments. “I felt right away that it was going to be a huge responsibility to play such a wonderful woman whose life meant so much to people.  I mean, June Carter’s writings and books have inspired me a lot, as a mother, as an entertainer and as a wife.  So it was challenging and humbling and harrowing – all at the same time – to take on this role.” 

Yet few people know the full story of the young Johnny Cash – how he fought for his genre-busting music, how he nearly flamed-out before he reached greatness, and how he found a love that would change his life.  Writer-Director Mangold, like so many people from all walks of life, had always admired Cash, and had long been fascinated by his seminal role in the history of American music. 

Phoenix "The Man in Black"
“Many people only know Johnny Cash as the ‘Man in Black,’” he says.  “It was exciting for me to learn about his early years and his breakthrough at Sun Records, just as rock and roll was taking off.” 

Walk the Line 
stars:
Reese Witherspoon
Joaquin Phoenix

Opens only in theaters nationwide
Friday, November 18th, 2005