Joaquin Phoenix’s habit of quitting projects shortly before they enter production seems to stem further back than many imagined. According to James McAvoy, who starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and its sequel, Glass, Phoenix was originally set to star in it before the former X-Men actor joined the cast at the last minute. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than McAvoy portraying the super-powered villain, but Phoenix nearly brought a very different version of the character to the big screen.
During an interview with Josh Horowitz, James McAvoy discussed joining M. Night Shyamalan’s Split as Kevin shortly before production began, confirming Phoenix was attached to the role at some point. “I think he ditched it two weeks before the shooting. It was really last minute,” said McAvoy. The actor does point out that joining late into the development process allowed McAvoy not to overthink it and dig right into the meaty role, which includes portraying more than 20 different personalities. The situation was meant to be, as McAvoy gave one of the best performances in his career in Shyamalan’s film, but it sheds an even more unfortunate light on Phoenix’s tendency to get cold feet and drop out of projects.
Joaquin Phoenix Has a History of Quitting Movies
Joaquin Phoenix is a legendary actor who does not give anything less than maximum effort, no matter the role. However, it seems he has an unfortunate habit of leaving films right before they start filming. He most recently bowed out of Todd Haynes’ untitled gay romance film, also starring Danny Ramirez, just days before filming was set to commence. A low-budget project that secured financing because of its lead star, the movie has since collapsed and a lawsuit may be in the works to recoup that money. This situation has sparked the current conversation about just how many times Phoenix has quit films at the last second, which is more than most. Phoenix did not give a clear answer when asked about his exit from Haynes’ film.
It would just be sharing my opinion and the other creatives aren’t here to share their piece. It doesn’t feel like that would be right. I don’t think that would be helpful so I just don’t think I will. Thank you.
In 2023, Joaquin Phoenix starred in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, another project he nearly quit at the last second. According to reports, Phoenix was so dissatisfied with the screenplay that he insisted Paul Thomas Anderson, a frequent collaborator of his, had to be hired to rewrite the script, or he’d quit the film. As one might guess, Anderson ended up working on the script and Phoenix portrayed the historical figure, to the disappointment of many. He is set to star in the DC sequel in October, but The Hollywood Reporter says Phoenix also almost quit the first Joker in 2019, for which he went on to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards.