Joaquin Phoenix made his breakout efficiency in 2000’s Gladiator, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Greatest Supporting Actor.
Practically 25 years later, director Ridley Scott revealed that Phoenix almost dropped out of the position of Commodus on the final minute, which resulted in co-star Russell Crowe calling him out.
“He was in his prince’s outfit saying, ‘I can’t do it.’ I mentioned, ‘What?’” he recounted to The New York Instances. “And Russell [Crowe] mentioned, ‘That is terribly unprofessional.’”
Explaining how he satisfied Joaquin to not give up, Scott mentioned, “I can act as an enormous brother or dad. However I’m fairly a buddy of Joaquin’s. Gladiator was a baptism of fireplace for each of us at first.”
The revelation comes after Phoenix reportedly stormed off the set of Todd Haynes‘ homosexual romance in July as filming was set to start in Guadalajara, Mexico. Manufacturing is useless on the movie, which was set to co-star Danny Ramirez.
Joaquin Phoenix and Ridley Scott attend the Napoleon premiere on Nov. 16, 2023 in London, England. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Pictures)
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Pictures
Though Phoenix doesn’t reprise his position for Gladiator II, which premieres Nov. 22 in theaters, he and Scott reunited on final yr’s Napoleon, which starred the Oscar winner because the eponymous Bonaparte.
Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal as Lucius, who beforehand witnessed Maximus (portrayed within the unique by Crowe) die by the hands of his uncle Commodus (Phoenix) within the first film. Now an grownup, Lucius is pressured to enter the Colosseum and combat to return glory to the individuals of Rome.
The sequel additionally stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and Connie Nielsen, who reprises her position as Lucius’ mom Lucilla from the unique film.
