Although it’s no surprise that Joaquin Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor in his role of Arthur Fleck in 2019’s Joker, there are a lot of things behind the scenes that took place that made him all the more revered and respectable when they were revealed to the public. Plus, his performance was a new benchmark that he set for the coming generations and iterations.
While his performance may have been spot-on in portraying one of the most challenging characters to bring to life, Phoenix’s co-star Robert De Niro didn’t like the fact that the star had no intentions of rehearsing his role first. This became such a heated point of disagreement that Todd Phillips had to step in and mediate the situation.
Robert De Niro Was Mad That Joaquin Phoenix Didn’t Want To Rehearse While Shooting Joker
In the past couple of years, when the DCEU was failing with each consecutive film in the franchise, a completely separate and unconnected film came in and took the audiences by storm. This film was none other than 2019’s Joker, helmed by Todd Phillips, and starred Joaquin Phoenix as the titular protagonist.
The performance that he gave was nothing short of exemplary, but his co-star and Hollywood legend Robert De Niro couldn’t look past his unwillingness to not prepare for the shots beforehand.
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In a past interview profile done by GQ on the Her star, they also talked about his experience on the sets of the aforementioned DC film. It was reported that while preparing for his role as Murray Franklin, De Niro would often put emphasis on rehearsing for the upcoming shot, and he followed that practice to the dot, saying:
“I like to hear the whole movie and we’re going to all get in a room and just read it.”
But on the other hand, Phoenix was the complete opposite as he preached for a more impromptu and improvising style for that particular role of Arthur Fleck. He said:
“There’s no f*cking way I’m doing a read-through.”
Since The Irishman star followed the rule by heart and took great pride in it, he had some problems with his co-star, so he even called out the director and asked him to talk Phoenix into performing rehearsals.
But in the end, they reached an understanding with each other, which was required since Joker is a character that is infamous for his unpredictability, and the star was able to preserve it through his decision of not rehearsing.
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What’s Next For Joaquin Phoenix?
After the success of the first film in the DC universe, CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have decided to keep the series in the DC Elseworlds franchise. With that, Phoenix has also reprised his role as the Clown Prince of Crime alongside Lady Gaga in the upcoming Joker: Folie á Deux.
Along with that, the star will also be portraying the infamous military General Napolean Bonaparte of the French empire in the upcoming Napoleon. The film, helmed by legendary director Ridley Scott, will tell the origins of his rise from a General to an Emperor along with the tumultuous relationship with his wife.
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Napoleon, releasing in cinemas on 22nd November 2023.
