Here's Why Joaquin Phoenix Pulled Out of a Passionate Gay Romance and Caused Hollywood 'Outrage'
A planned romantic drama film by renowned director, Todd Haynes, halted production and is no longer being considered for release. Joaquin Phoenix, the Oscar winner, left the untitled project just five days before the Guadalajara, Mexico, filming was scheduled to start. The part won't be recast. The work was supposed to center on a passionate homosexual relationship in the 1930s with Danny Ramirez in a co-starring role. Producers Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler had joined the Killer Films team after an official green light. However, following his abrupt departure, Phoenix has exposed himself to legal action, leaving the cast and crew in a precarious situation. “There’s been a huge amount of outrage,” one studio exec said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
According to several sources, the Joker actor experienced "cold feet" before the project, but the exact cause is unknown. In 2020, Phoenix admitted to feeling 'nervous' before filming any big project while appearing on 60 Minutes’ with Anderson Cooper. He disclosed that he is typically 'terrified' when he accepts a part because he thinks he won't be able to "find the right kind of place to express" his views. Insiders revealed that on one occasion he had vowed to leave Ridley Scott's Napoleon if Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of The Master, wasn't brought in to rework the script. His wish was granted, and he continued working on the project with the film eventually airing in 2023.
Sources claim that some producers have casually discussed blacklisting Phoenix over his recent departure from the Haynes' project, but most realize it's not practical, especially since Joker 2, which is scheduled to release on October 4, will probably rack in more success at the box office. One unnamed agent argued that Phoenix won't experience any serious career setbacks. Based on his large paychecks, the insider believes the Gladiator actor has enough money to handle the predicament and forecasts he will accept the low seven figures the production spent on the picture. “As long as they threaten, he’ll settle. It’s nothing to him,” they opined.
Unsurprisingly, Phoenix had demanded the fulfillment of one condition before agreeing to be part of the Joker sequel. “If it doesn’t feel like it’s dangerous, if there’s not a good chance that you’re gonna fail spectacularly then...what’s the point?”, he told Empire in an exclusive interview. Director Todd Phillips backed his point saying, “That was literally the reason to do it...The only reason Joaquin would even do a sequel is if it felt frightening to him. One thing he really got off on the first movie was this fear, every day, this nauseous fear of like, ‘What are we fucking doing?’ He did not want it to be easy. And he wanted to feel as scared on this one. He goes, ‘Well, if I’m gonna do it, I just want to feel that it could not work.”
