In the second episode of “ Variety Confidential : The Life and Legend of River Phoenix ,” the podcast shifts its focus from the actor’s explosive rise to the pivotal moment when his life began to unravel. Joining host Tatiana Siegel is a roster of close collaborators and friends, most notably “Dogfight” director Nancy Savoca and Matthew Ebert, a confidant on the set of “My Own Private Idaho,” where the actor’s dramatic descent began.

Savoca, who worked with Phoenix during the spring and summer of 1990 while filming “Dogfight,” describes him as a 19‑year‑old phenom with extraordinary empathy and potential. She remembers how Phoenix’s sensitivity, the same trait that made him magnetic onscreen, also made him vulnerable off it, particularly under the weight of fame and fan adoration. She

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