| Michael Waters | |
|---|---|
| My Own Private Idaho character | |
 River Phoenix as Mike Waters in My Own Private Idaho | |
| First appearance | |
| Last appearance | |
| Created by | Gus Van Sant |
| Portrayed by | River Phoenix Joshua Halladay (baby) |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Michael Waters |
| Nickname |
|
| Occupation | Male prostitute |
| Relatives | Sharon Waters (mother) Richard Waters (father; older brother) |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Michael Waters is a fictional character in Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho, portrayed by River Phoenix.
He is a sensitive, homeless teenage hustler who suffers from narcolepsy, directly foiling his best friend, Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves), a type-A personality hustler from a rich, influential family. A vagabond searching for his mother, Mike proclaims himself a "connoisseur of roads" because he has been "tasting roads all [his] life."[1]
Mikey remains one of the defining characters of New Queer Cinema and, due to the impressive critical reception, is a crucial role in River Phoenix's success and influence as an actor. For example, Eric Alan Edwards, one of the film's directors of photography, said that Phoenix – who died 25 months after the film was released – "really wore the role" because "he looked like a street kid."[2]