Is there a Joaquin Phoenix problem in Hollywood?

While he is preparing to explode the box office with Joker 2, the actor nevertheless annoys the industry, which criticizes his propensity to crash productions for yes or no.

The end of the Phoenix effect? ​​He is undoubtedly one of the most prominent actors of the 21st century in Hollywood. Four times nominated for an Oscar in the first two decades, Joaquin Phoenix is the chameleon actor par excellence, capable of playing both the Roman Emperor (in Gladiator) that the country singer (in Walk the Line) that the alcoholic veteran (in The Master) or the lost lover (in HERHis raw performances have made him a darling of the public, as popular with the great filmmakers as he knows how to unite at the box office.

Yes, but for several months now, the industry seems tired of the moods of Joaquin Phoenix. Especially since he crashes projects overnight, leaving a director, his casting colleagues and all the technicians in the lurch. This is what happened at the beginning of the summer of 2024, when the little brother of the late River slammed the door on the new film of Todd Haynes.

A gay romance set in the 1930s, billed as “sexually explicit“, which would have finally done”fear” has Joaquin Phoenix… 5 days before the start of filming! Without giving (officially) a reason, he chose at the last moment not to make the film… which he himself had presented to Todd Haynes originally. Producer Christine Vachon (Killer Films) spoke of a “nightmare“for the whole team, as the project was advanced, the budget validated, the sets built. Even part of the team was already in Mexico…

Refusing to publicly justify himself, the 49-year-old actor only hinted – during the Venice festival – that a creative disagreement had pushed him to leave: “I think if I talk about it, I would just be sharing my opinion, my point of view. But other creatives are not there to give their version. I don’t see how that would be useful. So no, I won’t talk about it.”

Producers grumble

Above all, Joaquin Phoenix is defending himself because a lawsuit is not out of the question. An article in the Hollywood Reporter recently shared the black anger of the Hollywood production community, furious at the star’s behavior. His defection has sparked ““a huge indignation” in the industry, writes the trade publication. “And the rumblings have grown louder within the production community for legal action to be taken against Phoenix, with some pointing out that throughout Hollywood history, actors have been held accountable.”.

The idea of ​​”blacklist” Joaquin Phoenix would even be on the table, although it seems unlikely at present, knowing that Joker 2 will likely bring in another billion at the box office.

Nevertheless, Joaquin Phoenix has clearly lost some of its luster. His performance in Joker: Madness for Two did not return the press, during the Mostra. Some critics pointing the finger at a performance “exhausted“. Already, his uninspired incarnation of Napoleonin the great historical fresco of Ridley Scotthad left him perplexed.

Rewrite required

Especially since he had almost left the production this time too, a few hours before the start of filming. To stay in the costume of the French Emperor, Joaquin Phoenix reportedly demanded that Paul Thomas Anderson step in to help rewrite the film (according to THR). Anderson isn’t credited as a screenwriter in the final credits, so it’s unclear if PTA actually contributed. But Phoenix has a reputation as a star who’ll walk away if he doesn’t like something.

And Ridley Scott to confirm (in Empire):

“With Joaquin, you can have to rewrite the whole movie because he feels uncomfortable. And that’s what happened with Napoleon. We unraveled the whole film to help him clarify who Bonaparte was.”

Because there again, the actor almost stood up his director: “We were two weeks into filming and he fucking comes in and says, ‘I don’t know what to do! I don’t understand the character...'” It was then necessary to reassure the actor, to prevent him from giving up everything: “I told him to come sit down. And we sat like that for 10 days straight, all day, going over the character scene by scene, going over the whole script. In a way, it was like we had rehearsed. Very meticulously, detail by detail.”

A similar process was employed by Todd Philipps to avoid losing his Joker along the way, during the production of Madness for TwoThe director says he constantly rewrote scenes, even during filming. “I often say of Joaquin that he is the tunnel at the end of the light” he confided to Vogue this year. “You think that this scene works, that you just have to shoot it. And then Joaquin says: ‘No, no, no, let’s just have a quick meeting to review her’. And three hours later, you find yourself rewriting the scene in question on a paper napkin…”

Farewell Split

Visibly, M. Night Shyamalan couldn’t find the words to keep him on SplitThe filmmaker had to find his actor from Signs (2002) and The Village (2004) in the continuation of‘Unbreakable. But Phoenix had to be replaced “at the drop of a hat” by James McAvoywithout knowing why: “I think he abandoned the film about two weeks before shooting began.” his replacement recalls today, on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

“It was really last minute. I only had a few weeks to prepare. Two weeks, actually.” James McAvoy concludes despite everything by emphasizing: “He’s a great actor. He would have delivered a different performance than I did, no doubt, but it would have been incredible!”

After Joker 2we will find Joaquin Phoenix In Eddingtonan offbeat western signed Ari Asterwho cast him in his last major role, Beau is afraid (in 2023). And this time, we are certain that he will be in it… since Eddington was filmed last spring.