Producer Christine Vachon has been reflecting on Joaquin Phoenix’s reported exit from Todd Haynes’ latest film, days before filming.
The fallout continues to unfurl following Joaquin Phoenix’s reported decision to walk out on Todd Haynes’ latest project just days before production was set to commence.
Hundreds of people are said to have suddenly found themselves out of work when the film lost its star, shortly before cameras were set to roll. Given the desperately short amount of time to find a replacement – and the fact that the movie was supposedly conceived by Phoenix himself – nothing could be done in terms of finding a stand-in for the actor, and the production collapsed.
Knowing how these things work, it’s likely that some folks have found themselves quite out of pocket as well.
Stories have surfaced in the weeks since, detailing a similar pattern of behaviour from Phoenix, including the actor allegedly walking out on M Night Shyamalan’s Split just two weeks before filming, not to mention also almost doing the same on Ridley Scott’s Napoleon.
Read more: May December review | Todd Haynes’ latest film is devilishly delicious
Christine Vachon, a producer on the scrapped Todd Haynes project called the situation a “nightmare” at the time it was unfolding and while recently at the San Sebastian Film Festival, she offered her continued thoughts on the project’s demise.
What’s more, she didn’t hold back.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Vachon said, “The truth is, pretty much what happened is out there for all of you to see … If I had anything to gossip about it, I would, but I don’t. It was tragic. The most tragic part about it, in my mind, is Todd Haynes is 62. There’s a finite number of films that they’ll be able to do in his lifetime. I consider him one of the most extraordinary film artists of his generation.”
“The idea that his time was wasted and that a movie is not a result of those years of working closely with Joaquin, that is the tragedy to me and that I can’t get over, … We, as a cultural community, lost an opportunity to have another movie by Todd Haynes. That is just criminal.”
For his part, Phoenix has declined to talk about the incident while doing press for his upcoming big studio film, Joker: Folie A Deux. The director of that film, Todd Philips, has already said that a third Joker film isn’t on the cards – but even if it were, it’s a wonder whether Warner Bros (or any other studio or financier) would be willing to take a risk on Phoenix in the future. Time will tell.
