Ridley Scott Explains Why Russell Crowe Was Angry At Joaquin Phoenix Over ‘Gladiator’ Drama

Joaquin Phoenix is quickly making a name for himself in Hollywood for erratically dropping out of movies with little to no provocation. One of those examples was his decision to leave ‘Gladiator,’ which drove Russell Crowe crazy with his unprofessionalism.

How Joaquin Phoenix Was “Terribly Unprofessional” On Set Of ‘Gladiator’

‘Gladiator’ director Ridley Scott recently opened up about the drama that went on behind-the-scenes of the iconic movie. Speaking to The New York Times, Scott recalled the friction Phoenix created on set for wanting to opt out of the movie mid-scene.

“[Joaquin] was in his prince’s outfit saying, ‘I can’t do it,’” Scott recalled, “I said, ‘What?’ And Russell said, ‘This is terribly unprofessional.’”

Scott would manage to convince Phoenix to stay on in the role of Commodus – the movie’s primary villain. When asked how he was able to manage it, he said, “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.”

Fun fact: Phoenix and Russel Crowe, who played lead character Maximus, both went on to earn Oscar nominations for their roles. So I guess Phoenix isn’t averse to giving his best even if he develops cold feet somewhere down the line.

But that’s not the last that Scott will be working with Phoenix, as the duo reunited for the 2023 historical drama ‘Napoleon.’

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The topic of Phoenix developing cold feet was probably brought up due to recent events that saw him walk out on Todd Haynes’ romance movie a mere five days before cameras were set to start rolling. This sadly led to the indefinite shelving of the movie.

No one knows the exact reason Phoenix dropped out of the project, and when he was asked to comment on it at the world premiere of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux,’ he seemingly dodged it.

He instead replied, “If I do [comment], I’d just be sharing my opinion from my perspective and the other creatives aren’t here to say their piece, and so I don’t think that would be helpful.”

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Joaquin Phoenix right now. Come back here often for all Joaquin Phoenix spoilers, news, and updates.

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