Joaquin Phoenix’s abrupt departure from a gay romance film has reportedly sparked “huge outrage” in Hollywood and could lead to legal action.
The Joker star was set to lead the untitled detective love story – that he had taken to director Todd Haynes in the first place – but five days before production was scheduled to begin, he made the last-minute decision to drop out of the film after getting “cold feet”, a source told Variety.
Entire sets had been built in Guadalajara, Mexico, where shooting had been due to take place. Phoenix abandoned the project in early July just days before the scheduled shoot, leaving cast and crew in the lurch.
Now, reports are emerging that legal action could ensue, after the decision sparked backlash from industry veterans.
“There’s been a huge amount of outrage,” one studio executive told The Hollywood Reporter. The publication cited sources suggesting the decision could lead to legal action.
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Produced by Killer Films and backed by sales agent MK2 Film, Phoenix’s movie had already been sold to international distributors. Variety further reports that the actor’s role cannot be recast, leaving the crew out of work and investors unpaid, and meaning that losses could surpass seven figures.
I didn’t realize it was his, that would make sense! Now I’m even more curious why he would pull out of the project
I think that might all come out in the lawsuit but the THR report they mention says:
The fact that it contains gay sex scenes has been suggested as a contributing factor too. It might seem a great idea in the planning stages but for someone so method, he might have been struggling to get into the right head-space as the start of filming was looking.
Worth reading this: Joaquin Phoenix’s One-Man Cult of Depressive Method-Acting Vanity. It shows what an unusual space he works in and it seems very… fragile.
Hadn’t heard this before, but it’s funny how it immediately explains the energy he always seems to have in a role.