Ridley Scott revealed that he had to adopt a different approach with Joaquin Phoenix during the filming of the renowned movie Gladiator. Russell Crowe reportedly criticized Phoenix for being ‘unprofessional’ on set.
Although Joaquin Phoenix is now known for delivering remarkable performances, he hasn’t always shown confidence in his acting skills.
The 2000 film Gladiator remains memorable for many, and Phoenix’s portrayal of the corrupt Roman emperor Commodus played a significant role in that.
At the time, Phoenix was in his mid-20s and his performance earned him an Oscar nomination. Russell Crowe, who portrayed the character Maximus, a general turned slave, also received an Oscar for his outstanding performance.
Despite these accolades, director Ridley Scott recounted that the filming process was not always seamless.
There was a moment when Crowe confronted Phoenix, accusing him of unprofessional behavior.
In light of the forthcoming Gladiator II, Scott discussed his experiences with the cast in an interview with the New York Times.
He recounted, “[Joaquin] was in his prince’s outfit saying, ‘I can’t do it’. I said, ‘What?’ And Russell said, ‘This is terribly unprofessional’.”
To help Phoenix manage the situation, Scott took steps to make him more comfortable.
He explained, “I can act as a big brother or dad. But I’m quite a friend of Joaquin’s. Gladiator was a baptism of fire for both of us in the beginning.”
Phoenix has previously opened up about the apprehension he felt regarding his role.
In a 2018 interview with Collider, he expressed, “I absolutely have that nervousness on every movie…but I think that probably Gladiator was one of the most intimidating because the first set that I went on was just massive.”
He elaborated on the scale of the production, saying, “It looked like it was acres of land, and tons of trucks and trailers and, you know, hundreds of extras, and multiple cameras. Suddenly the scale of this hit me and I was overwhelmed by that. I didn’t think that I was going to be able to make it through that.”
Phoenix also commended Scott for his patience throughout the filming process.
He added, “I went to [Scott] and said, ‘I don’t know what to do, I just can’t do this. I don’t know what you’re gonna do. This just isn’t gonna be possible’.”
Scott demonstrated his wisdom by filming Phoenix for several hours without using actual film, saying, “It’s gonna be hours before this kid f***ing gets anything, if at all, so I’m not gonna waste film’.”