Joaquin went on nut diet for Master

Joaquin Phoenix survived on an extreme diet of nuts to lose weight for his role as a cult member in The Master.

The film, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and co-starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, is about the founding of a religious cult and is said to have been inspired by Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard. Paul has hailed Joaquin for suffering so much for his art, revealing he suppressed his usually very healthy appetite.

Paul told The Independent: "He likes to eat. He likes to put food in his mouth. He didn't eat any food, he had a few nuts, that is an incredible amount of discipline, not because that is what he should be doing for the role, but because his appetite is so large."

But the 38-year-old Oscar-nominated actor told the newspaper he has self-doubts about his acting capability and struggles to find scripts that interest him.

Joaquin announced in 2008 he was quitting acting to become a musician, and then starred in I'm Still Here, a mockumentary by Casey Affleck apparently charting his emotional decline.

He said: "I think the trouble is that I'm not very good and I need a lot of help; I need the entire set to be working to help me. The only way I can work is to be very close to the director and the acting. At least people like Paul make you feel that is a priority."