Why Can’t Joaquin Phoenix Be Recast in Todd Haynes Gay Film?

Make it right.
Photo: Jose Oliva/Europa Press via Getty Images

LGBT can stand for so many things: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; Lady Gaga–Beyoncé’s ‘Telephone”; let’s get bread today; etc. But when it comes to Joaquin Phoenix, the Q in LGBTQ stands for just one thing: quitter. Phoenix has reportedly deserted the Todd Haynes–directed gay romance he was set to star in just five days before filming in July, per IndieWire. Promise you this: No gay actor would ever pull out. Below, how “outrage” from production could lead to legal trouble, why Phoenix can’t be recast, and context from Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri.

Allegedly, he got “cold feet.” We’d note that it would also require a cold heart to leave fully built sets in Guadalajara, and a crew that is ready to work. Danny Ramirez of Top Gun: Maverick was reportedly set to play his love interest. There has been no comment from Phoenix’s camp yet confirming why he left. There’s reportedly speculation among the crew that the exit has to do with the planned NC-17 gay scenes in the film, but Phoenix is the one who pitched the “love story and with a strong sexual component,” as Haynes previously told Variety. “Joaquin was pushing it further into more dangerous territory, sexually,” Haynes said at the time. What a tease. Lemme Go Berate This Quitter+.

“Having interviewed Phoenix in the past, and talked to people who’ve worked with him, I get the sense that he’s a super-anxious guy who’s constantly racked with self-doubt,” film critic Bilge Ebiri noted for context. “It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he’s always on the verge of walking out on productions. (There are, believe it or not, a number of actors in the industry who are like this.) But in this case, with a project he actually brought to Haynes, and one that’s clearly relying on his star power to get off the ground, it’s still pretty shocking and unfortunate. I’m not sure big-name actors ever understand the power they wield over these films. At the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there’s more to this story.”

A reasonable question. Sources claimed to Variety that Phoenix’s role as a corrupt cop in the 1930s cannot be recast, meaning the crew is now unemployed and losses could go up to seven figures. The assumed issue is that multiple international distributors have already purchased rights to the project with the expectation that it will star Phoenix. With Phoenix out, the contracts for those sales may no longer apply, and that funding is now withdrawn.

Prolific indie-film producer Christine Vachon, Haynes’s long-time partner at Killer Films, confirmed on Facebook on August 9 that a “version” of Phoenix’s departure did happen, and she asked people not to blame the straight-casting choice for the outcome. “And PLEASE – if you are tempted to finger wag or admonish us that ‘that’s what you get for casting a straight actor’ –DON’T,” she explained. “This was HIS project that he brought to US– and Killer’s record on working with LGBTQ actors/crew/directors speaks for itself. (and for those of you who HAVE– know that you are making a terrible situation even worse).”

Others within the industry also seem hostile toward Phoenix over the incident. “There’s been a huge amount of outrage,” one anonymous studio exec told The Hollywood Reporter. THR also reported that he nearly backed out of Ridley Scott’s 2023 film Napoleon, saying he would leave unless Paul Thomas Anderson did rewrites. Once Anderson was brought in, Phoenix acquiesced.

Phoenix has the Joker sequel coming out later in 2024, so it’s unlikely that his behavior will put him on any blacklists. While it’s unlikely that an Oscar-winning star of his caliber is going to be stopped from working, Phoenix could definitely face legal consequences. “Back in the 1990s, Kim Basinger got sued for verbally agreeing to do Boxing Helena and then bailing on the project (which wound up shooting with Sherilyn Fenn and flopped mightily),” Ebiri adds. “She lost the case and it nearly destroyed her career. I would not be surprised if Phoenix wound up getting seriously sued for this.”

This post has been updated.