As a seasoned gamer who has seen countless actors come and go, I can’t help but feel a tinge of amusement at the latest drama surrounding Joaquin Phoenix. This isn’t his first rodeo when it comes to cold feet before filming, and it seems like he’s got a knack for stirring up a storm!
Last week, Joaquin Phoenix unexpectedly left Todd Haynes’ film production about a gay romance in Guadalajara, Mexico, only five days before shooting began. Since then, this sudden departure has caused quite a stir, with the effects being felt far beyond the film set.
One executive at a film studio expresses intense frustration, stating that there has been an overwhelming wave of anger among Hollywood producers following Phoenix’s unexpected exit. This sudden departure left the cast and crew in a difficult predicament, and it now appears that the actor may face potential legal consequences, based on information from reliable sources.
The fact that Phoenix initially proposed the project to Haynes and his consistent collaborators at Killer Films, led by Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, made his sudden departure all the more unexpected.
Title-less movie featuring Danny Ramirez from “Captain America: Brave New World” was reportedly centered around a passionate love story between two men in the 1930s. It’s been claimed that Phoenix had second thoughts before filming, but the specifics of why remain unclear. Neither Phoenix’s nor Killer Films’ representatives responded to requests for comment.
The actor is well-known for experiencing apprehension before starting filming on multiple productions. According to two sources, he made a promise to depart from Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” unless his co-worker, Paul Thomas Anderson, was enlisted to revise the script. After being reassured, he chose to continue with the project, and it was released in theaters towards the end of last year.
In an interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, Phoenix admitted that he typically feels “terrified” when he accepts a role, and before filming, he’s often “anxious” because he fears he won’t be able to discover the appropriate platform to articulate his thoughts effectively.
Lately, there’s been growing calls within the production industry for Phoenix to face legal consequences, as industry insiders highlight instances in Hollywood where actors have faced repercussions for abandoning projects.
In 1993, a court decided that Kim Bassigner broke an oral agreement to appear in the movie “Boxing Helena” produced by Main Line Pictures. The court ordered Bassigner to compensate the company at least $8.92 million for damages. However, this decision was reversed the following year, and Bassigner eventually reached a settlement with Main Line Pictures in 1995, agreeing to pay them $3.8 million.
It’s often mentioned that Bruce Willis left an uncompleted Disney film, “Broadway Brawler,” in production. Later, he was required to star in three Disney movies at a lower-than-usual salary as a way of making amends for this. Interestingly, two of these films, “Armageddon” and “The Sixth Sense,” turned out to be box office successes.
The controversy comes as Phoenix prepares to take The Joker: Folie à Deux to Venice and likely to other festivals as well. The Haynes movie drama could cast a pall over the press tour, though Phoenix historically does very little solo press, even for his splashy roles, and tends to wait until later in awards season when he does.
In the movie “Joker”, they turned down many significant requests by him and Warner Bros, and surprisingly, the Los Angeles premiere had no interviews on the red carpet because of the controversy surrounding the film. People were worried that it might incite violence. However, the film became a massive success, earning over $1 billion, and Phoenix was awarded an Oscar for his performance.
Without a doubt, the actor’s reserved demeanor and somewhat questionable image haven’t seemed to harm his chances of winning an Oscar, and at times, they’ve even appeared to boost his popularity with voters. Despite the criticism that surrounded Phoenix’s elaborate prank where he claimed to be transitioning into a rapper in 2010 – which many people dismissed – it didn’t prevent him from being nominated for Best Actor for The Master just two years later.
Nevertheless, festivals often involve red carpets and press conferences, and attending any of these events by Phoenix might cause a diversion, for both fans and the media, given his recent decision to depart from the Haynes movie, which is not too far in the past.
Based on reports, certain manufacturers have casually discussed boycotting Phoenix following Haynes’ exit, but many admit this is unlikely, especially considering the high expectations for the release of Joker 2 on October 4th.
One individual not associated with the Haynes film series thinks that in the end, Phoenix won’t experience a major career setback. This person anticipates the actor will accept the lower-end seven figures offered by the production, given his substantial earnings from the Joker films. The agent argues that such wealth allows him to handle this situation easily, stating, “As long as they make threats, he’ll settle. It’s insignificant to him.”
—Steven Zeitchik contributed to this story.
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2024-08-14 03:24