What We Know About Joaquin Phoenix’s Involvement in Todd Hayne’s Upcoming Gay Romance
The Joker actor, Joaquin Phoenix, has walked out of Todd Hayne’s upcoming gay romance just a few days before the production of the film was scheduled to begin. According to sources close to the actor, Phoenix got cold feet and decided to walk away from the film.
However, the Her actor moving out of the project has created a tiff for the makers as Phoenix’s role cannot be recast. Since the actor was finalized for the lead role, the movie was sent out to the distributors ahead of production.
Meanwhile, the film has yet to pay the stakeholders, and the reports by Variety suggest that the makers will bear the loss, which could exceed seven figures. The sets are built in Guadalajara, as the shooting was supposed to take place within five days before the Hollywood star stepped out of his character.
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Various sources also stated that Phoenix dropped out of the movie due to the alleged graphic, intimate scenes that the script demanded of him to perform on the sets. No confirmation has yet been given by the actor or the makers of the movie.
The Napoleon actor was cast alongside the Top Gun: Maverick star Danny Ramirez, who was roped in to play the second lead in 2023. Meanwhile, the director, Todd Hayne, following the casting, revealed to the media outlet that his upcoming movie was about “a love story between two men set in the ’30s that has explicit sexual content.”
The movie was marked as NC-17 and was supposed to dish out content that would challenge the audience and society. While the insider suggested that one of the reasons for Phoenix to have walked about could be because of playing intimate scenes on screen, other reports also claim that it was the actor who brought the project to the filmmaker in the first place.
While speaking to Variety, Hayne earlier shared, “Basically, it was just this wonderful, organic way to create the script.” He further added, “And Joaquin was pushing it further into more dangerous territory, sexually.” The final decision over the film is yet to be taken by the makers.
On the work front, Joaquin Phoenix is preparing for his big release with Joker: Folie a Deux alongside Lady Gaga.
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