Promoting Gladiator II, Ridley Scott has talked about Joaquin Phoenix’s self-doubt on the set of the 2000 original.
Ridley Scott doesn’t seem to care whose nose he puts out of joint, and as such, the Gladiator II press tour is shaping up to be just as entertaining as the film is said to be. Any time Sir Ridley is on the interview circuit, we get his unfiltered takes on lots of subjects and this time is no different.
Joaquin Phoenix is on the filmmaker’s mind at the moment – not surprising given that the actor has made plenty of headlines lately for his decision to leave Todd Haynes’ period erotic drama just days before production was set to commence, causing the shutdown of the film and resulting in plenty of people being left in an unhappy situation. It has also since emerged that the actor reportedly did the same on the set of Split, leaving the M Night Shyamalan film just two weeks before production began.
Scott had previously revealed that Phoenix tried to pull a similar move on the set of Napoleon, before the filmmaker was able to coax him back into the role. Now Scott has revealed that Phoenix was struck with the same crippling doubts on the set of the original Gladiator, saying: “He was in his prince’s outfit saying, ‘I can’t do it.’ I said, ‘What?’” Scott recalled to The New York Times. “And Russell [Crowe] said, ‘This is terribly unprofessional.’”
Read more: Film Stories magazine issue 52 | The biggest UK movie magazine – now with Ridley Scott!
“I can act as a big brother or dad,” continued Scott. “But I’m quite a friend of Joaquin’s. Gladiator was a baptism of fire for both of us in the beginning.” We can expect plenty more interesting nuggets from Scott as Gladiator II rolls out across the world.
Scott also cast doubt on Quentin Tarantino’s long-trailed decision to retire from filmmaking after his tenth film. “I don’t fucking believe that bullshit,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Shut up and go make another movie. Quentin wrote a few things for my brother. They got along great. I’m not sure I’ve met him.”
Want one more? Of course you do. On being reminded by the outlet that he’s never yet won an Oscar, Scott responded with, “Well, I’ve been knighted twice.” Nice. Scott was even kind enough to give us an insight into the fringe benefits of being a ‘Sir’: “If somebody gets tricky, then I sign the note rudely [as “Sir Ridley Scott”]. Otherwise I don’t use it. But, of course, I respect it.” he explains.
Who needs an Oscar when you already have this much gold? The press tour for Gladiator II continues, as does our coverage of Ridley Scott: you’ll find our interview with the veteran filmmaker, and much talk about his latest sword and sandal epic, in Film Stories issue 52, available now.
