Why did Joaquin Phoenix almost play the Joker in Batman: The Dark Knight?
Joaquin Phoenix had the opportunity to play the Joker long before the success of Todd Phillips' film, released in 2019. In an interview with Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin (via Variety), the actor revealed that he even talked to Christopher Nolan about playing the villain in Batman: The Dark Knight (2008).
According to the star, the role was passed on because he “didn’t feel ready” to play the Joker at that time:
“I remember I talked to Chris Nolan about The Dark Knight, and it [the role] didn't happen for some reason. I wasn't ready at that time. This is one of those things where you think, ‘What is it about me that isn’t doing this?’. But it's not about me. There is something else. There’s someone else who’s going to do something… I can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have Heath Ledger’s performance in that movie, right?”
Phoenix also said he “doesn’t remember the context” in which Nolan and he met to talk about the role, but that he felt he “shouldn’t do it.”
Highly praised to this day, Batman: The Dark Knight was a turning point in superhero cinema. The film was marked by Heath Ledger's performance as Joker, a performance that won him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Phoenix, in turn, gave life to the villain in 2019 in Joker, a role for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2020. The star returned to play the antagonist this year in Joker.
If you follow me and comment "JOKER" I'll answer a fun fact about the character for you.
Joaquin Phoenix had the opportunity to play the Joker long before the success of Todd Phillips' film, released in 2019. In an interview with Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin (via Variety), the actor revealed that he even talked to Christopher Nolan about playing the villain in Batman: The Dark Knight (2008).
According to the star, the role was passed on because he “didn’t feel ready” to play the Joker at that time:
“I remember I talked to Chris Nolan about The Dark Knight, and it [the role] didn't happen for some reason. I wasn't ready at that time. This is one of those things where you think, ‘What is it about me that isn’t doing this?’. But it's not about me. There is something else. There’s someone else who’s going to do something… I can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have Heath Ledger’s performance in that movie, right?”
Phoenix also said he “doesn’t remember the context” in which Nolan and he met to talk about the role, but that he felt he “shouldn’t do it.”
Highly praised to this day, Batman: The Dark Knight was a turning point in superhero cinema. The film was marked by Heath Ledger's performance as Joker, a performance that won him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Phoenix, in turn, gave life to the villain in 2019 in Joker, a role for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2020. The star returned to play the antagonist this year in Joker.
If you follow me and comment "JOKER" I'll answer a fun fact about the character for you.
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