Joaquin Phoenix nearly quit Gladiator in the middle of filming, director Ridley Scott has revealed.
Speaking to the New York Times about the film’s upcoming sequel Gladiator II, Scott was asked about Phoenix’s reputation of leaving projects. According to the director, this has been a trait for a long time. While filming for the first Gladiator film, Scott revealed that Phoenix had cold feet and wanted to drop out of the movie.
Phoenix’s hesitancy to commit to the film then led to co-star Russell Crowe calling him out for being “unprofessional”.
Joaquin Phoenix at the ‘Napoleon’ premiere on November 20, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)
“He was in his prince’s outfit saying, ‘I can’t do it.’ I said, ‘What?’ And Russell [Crowe] said, ‘This is terribly unprofessional,'” Scott explained to the New York Times. However, Scott was eventually able to convince Phoenix to stay on and complete the project – for which he later earned an Oscar nomination.
“I can act as a big brother or dad. But I’m quite a friend of Joaquin’s. Gladiator was a baptism of fire for both of us in the beginning,” Scott said. He and Phoenix would later reunite for 2023’s Napoleon.
Talk of Phoenix leaving projects only recently came to light when it was revealed that he had quit a Todd Haynes-led gay romance film just days before it was set to begin filming in August. Phoenix had worked on the screenplay of the film alongside Haynes and Jon Raymond. The film has since been cancelled entirely.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Napoleon Bonaparte in Apple Original Films and Columbia Pictures theatrical release of NAPOLEON. CREDIT: Sony/Kevin Baker
After he dropped out of the Todd Haynes film, James McAvoy revealed that Phoenix had similarly “abandoned” the lead role in Split two weeks before filming, leading to McAvoy’s last-minute landing of the now-iconic role: “I think he ditched it two weeks before they started shooting. It was really last minute.”
Phoenix has most recently starred in Joker: Folie à Deux, which has has endured a tough time at the box office, taking approximately $40million (£30.5million) domestically on its opening weekend, well short of Warner Bros.’ original projections. Now, just weeks after its cinematic release, the film received a digital home release on November 4, accelerated due to its financial difficulties.
In a four-star review of Folie à Deux, NME wrote: “As with the original movie, the film looks gorgeous throughout, with cinematographer Lawrence Sher making strong use of colour and conjuring up some beautiful images – highlights include an overhead shot of some umbrellas (referencing Jacques Demy’s 1964 musical The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg) and a stunningly lit frame of Arthur lighting a cigarette in his prison cell that resembles a lovingly illustrated comic book panel.
Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’. CREDIT: Warner Bros. Entertainment
“In short, Phillips and Silver have delivered the last thing anyone expected: a socially responsible Joker movie that finds an intriguing way to explore the consequences (both on and offscreen) of the first film. Joker fans shouldn’t cry too hard though – Warner Bros. have cleverly found a way to leave the door open a little for the franchise to continue, should the need arise.”
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