An actor who was slated to appear alongside Joaquin Phoenix in a gay romance film has shared his thoughts following Phoenix’s last-minute withdrawal from the project.
Phoenix was originally cast to portray one half of a gay couple in a yet-to-be-titled movie. The plot centered around a romance between two men who journeyed from Los Angeles to Mexico in the 1930s.
Danny Ramirez, known for his roles in Captain America: Brave New World and Top Gun: Maverick, was meant to co-star with Phoenix. However, the Joker actor backed out just five days before filming was scheduled to commence.
Director Todd Haynes was brought on board for the film, which is believed to have been put on hold following Phoenix’s unexpected exit.
The movie was intended to be an NC-17 feature with ‘graphic’ sex scenes, which some speculate was the reason behind Phoenix’s departure.
Conflicting reports suggest that the 49-year-old Phoenix initially approached Haynes with the project, casting doubt on the speculated reasons for his withdrawal.
Haynes himself mentioned that the Napoleon star “was pushing it further into more dangerous territory, sexually.”
Nonetheless, the precise reasons for Phoenix’s departure remain ambiguous.
During a press event at the Venice International Film Festival, Phoenix was questioned about his decision to leave the project.
He responded: “Um… I think if I do I would just be sharing my opinion from my perspective, and the other creatives aren’t here to say their piece and that just doesn’t feel like that would be right, not sure how that would be helpful.
“So, I just don’t think I will. Yeah. Thank you.”
Ramirez has since addressed Phoenix’s decision to exit the project, expressing his feelings of ‘disappointment’.
In a weekend interview with Variety, he noted: “It’s definitely disappointing.
“[…] If anything, it just gave me more inspiration to keep driving, keep pushing, and knowing that I’m on the right path and approaching the work the right way. So that’s what I’m excited about.”
Providing an update on the film’s status, Ramirez mentioned that it is ‘hopefully’ still in the works.
Aside from the drama surrounding Phoenix’s sudden exit, his latest film Joker: Folie à Deux has underperformed at the box office and among fans.
A staggering $200 million was reportedly invested in the production, alongside $100 million for marketing, only for it to earn $37.6 million domestically during its opening weekend.
At present, the sequel to 2019’s highly praised Joker holds a 32 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.3/10 score on IMDb.
One aspect that left DC Comics fans dissatisfied was its musical format.
Leading up to the release of Joker: Folie à Deux, many questioned the decision to make it a musical.