Russell Crowe recently reflected on Joaquin Phoenix’s behavior during the filming of *Gladiator*, where Phoenix’s early outbursts were seen as unprofessional. Director Ridley Scott recalled an incident where Phoenix nearly left the set due to anxiety over his role as Commodus. Although he completed the film, Phoenix’s reputation suffered, influencing his decisions on future projects, including a last-minute withdrawal from Todd Haynes’s film. Despite challenges, he and Scott collaborated again on *Napoleon*.
Russell Crowe Critiques Joaquin Phoenix’s Behavior on Gladiator Set
Filming can sometimes lead to mixed memories for actors, especially when collaborating with certain colleagues. Over two decades ago, during the production of Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix’s behavior reportedly left a lasting impression on Russell Crowe, the film’s lead who portrayed Maximus Decimus Meridius, the former general turned gladiator. In this epic tale, he confronts Commodus, the emperor’s resentful son, who orchestrates Maximus’s tragic fate.
At that time, Phoenix was still an emerging talent and occasionally displayed what some described as tantrums. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Ridley Scott, the director behind both the original film and its upcoming sequel (Gladiator 2, hitting theaters next Wednesday), recounted an incident where Phoenix expressed fear on set and nearly departed the project after donning his Prince Commodus costume. Witnessing this exchange, Crowe, who was in his twenties at the time, reportedly admonished his co-star for what he deemed “terribly unprofessional.”
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Joaquin Phoenix’s Early Outbursts Impact His Career Decisions
Eventually, Ridley Scott managed to persuade Joaquin Phoenix to continue with the film and see it to completion. However, this incident has contributed to a tarnished reputation for Phoenix. His participation in Joker: Folie à Deux—which received mixed reviews, although lauded by game designer Hideo Kojima—showed that his well-known hesitance could have serious implications, as evidenced by his recent withdrawal from Todd Haynes’s upcoming project. Despite his deep involvement in the film’s creation, including pitching the idea and contributing to the script, he made the surprising choice to pull out just five days before production was scheduled to start!
In light of these developments, Phoenix has not offered any detailed explanations, further solidifying his reputation as a capricious figure in Hollywood. Nevertheless, the anecdote from the Gladiator set did not hinder his collaboration with Ridley Scott. In fact, the duo reunited for the film Napoleon, which also faced potential setbacks due to a demand from Phoenix. He insisted that Paul Thomas Anderson oversee a script rewrite, threatening to walk away otherwise—yet again, a threat that ultimately did not materialize. It seems that Joaquin Phoenix’s involvement in film projects comes with its own set of challenges!