August 14, 2024 10:08 am IST
Joaquin Phoenix, who recently dropped out of Todd Phoenix’s gay drama film at the last minute, has a history of similar abandonment issues on film sets.
Todd Haynes’ queer drama might not be the first project that Joaquin Phoenix has abandoned at the last minute. In fact, The Hollywood Reporter This suggests that he had threatened to do the same in Ridley Scott’s period drama Napoleon last year, in which he played the lead role. (Also Read – Joaquin Phoenix abruptly quits gay romance film, almost killing it: Find out why)
Joaquin’s demands on Napoleon
The report states, “The actor is actually known for panicking before filming on various projects. Two sources tell THR that he threatened to leave Ridley Scott’s Napoleon unless his The Master filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson was brought in for rewrites. Calming down, he stayed on the project, and it hit theaters late last year.”
Written by David Scarpa and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ridley Scott, Napoleon starred Joaquin as the French ruler and Vanessa Kirby as his wife Josephine. It grossed $221 million worldwide and received 3 Oscar nominations in technical categories.
Joaquin’s recent exit
Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix’s sudden exit from Todd Haynes’ upcoming film has led to the project being cancelled. Phoenix has distanced himself from the gay drama, about two men who fall in love and flee to Mexico, which was released just five days before filming was set to begin in Guadalajara.
The Joker actor reportedly had “cold feet” for the project, for which he developed the screenplay with Todd and John Raymond. Joaquin was set to co-star with Top Gun: Maverick actor Danny Ramirez in the 1930s love story, which contained “explicit sexual content”. The film was intended to receive an NC-17 rating due to its graphic sex scenes. The role will not be recast for the film.
During the press tour for his 2023 Netflix film May December, director Todd Haynes told IndieWire Phoenix was the driving force behind the project. “The whole experience was inspired by Joaquin. It was inspired by his courage, his willingness to overcome obstacles and his willingness to go to really uncomfortable places about this relationship. And yet it felt like a very organic process,” the filmmaker said.
Joaquin will next be seen in Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel to his 2019 film Joker, which earned him his first Oscar trophy for Best Actor. Starring Lady Gaga, the film is directed by Todd Phillips and is set to release in October.
