Washington, Feb 17 : Actor-turned-rapper Joaquin Phoenix says that his music career will form an important part of his life, and that it will be bigger than his acting career.

When Phoenix announced that he was quitting the film world to join the music industry, he was badly criticised for it, with some even calling it a hoax.

But the Walk The Line star insists that he is very serious about never appearing before the cameras again.

He has revealed that his music career "has been brewing for a long time," and that playing Johnny Cash in a biopic has helped him take this decision.

"I've always loved music and never really played anything, and, after Walk The Line, I kind of learned to play guitar and having that sense of performing, that certainly opened the door for me for music," Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

"I think now I would just like the music to speak for itself. I don't think we'll ever get to the reason, ''Oh, that's why he quit and this is why he's doing this.'' I don't fully understand it myself. I've always followed my heart and felt what was true at the time and that's what I'm doing now.

"I'm not out to sell records. I'm experiencing something and it's what I feel. I feel like everything in my life is leading up to this and suddenly acting doesn't seem like that's a big part of what was important in my life.

"I imagine, when I look back on my life, acting will be just a very small portion of something that I did, and I think music will be the dominant theme in my life," he added.

Phoenix admits that he was taken aback by the fuss his decision to quit acting caused.

"I didn't know that anyone was gonna care. I felt that it was an obligation to tell my fans what I was doing, moving in another direction," he stated. (ANI)