Why Joaquin Phoenix Once Slapped Co-star Vanessa Kirby — With Her Consent
There are a few actors in Hollywood who have developed a reputation for totally committing to their roles. Joaquin Phoenix is one such star, a dedicated actor who has been a working performer since he was a child. Known for his occasionally eccentric behavior both on and off-set, Phoenix has portrayed real-life historical figures such as Johnny Cash, along with mythical villains such as the Joker.
Phoenix’s newest role is bound to be one of his most buzzworthy. As Napoleon Bonaparte in an upcoming historical drama, Phoenix is already making headlines for his work. Notably, rumors recently started swirling that Phoenix slapped his co-star on the film, albeit for a rather unexpected reason.
Joaquin Phoenix is portraying Napoleon Bonaparte in a brand-new film
Phoenix is no stranger to playing real-life people, but there’s no role like that of the famed general Napoleon Bonaparte. Directed and produced by famed director Ridley Scott, Napoleon stars Phoenix as the emperor himself, along with Vanessa Kirby as Empress Josephine. The film features an all-star cast of supporting actors, including Ben Miles, Tahar Rahim, and Matthew Needham.
Napoleon depicts Bonaparte’s rise to power, along with his volatile relationship with Empress Josephine and how their romance affected his military conquests. With Phoenix’s intense style and such a high-powered production team, the film is bound to be a hit. Odds are, Phoenix will secure another Academy Award nomination for his performance.
Why did Joaquin Phoenix slap his ‘Napoleon’ co-star?
Napoleon isn’t scheduled to hit theaters until November 2023, but the film is already making waves. Recently, Phoenix and Kirby opened up to Empire magazine about their unique approach to filming scenes involving conflict, with the stars revealing that they gave each other “permission” to take things to the next level. This unconventional approach to filming together led to one scene where Phoenix, in character as Bonaparte, slapped Kirby as Josephine.
As reported by Best Life Online, Phoenix admitted that “She said, ‘Look, whatever you feel, you can do.’ I said, ‘Same thing with you.’ She said, ‘You can slap me, you can grab me, you can pull me, you can kiss me, whatever it is,'” Phoenix explained, “So we had this agreement that we were going to surprise each other and try and create moments that weren’t there, because both of us wanted to avoid the cliché of the period drama. And by that I mean moments that are well-orchestrated and designed.” During the filming of the divorce scene, Phoenix slapped Kirby, which surprised the actor. As she told Empire, “We were using the real words from their divorce in the church…It’s the greatest thing when you have a creative partner and you say, ‘Right, everything’s safe. I’m with you. And we’re gonna go to the dark places together.'”
Joaquin Phoenix is an acclaimed performer
Born in 1974, Phoenix was raised in a show-business family alongside siblings who also acted. In the late ’80s, Phoenix started his movie career, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that he started making a name for himself in Hollywood. Phoenix quickly gained a reputation for playing dark, rather unconventional characters, such as Emperor Commodus in the 2000 action film Gladiator.
In 2005, Phoenix received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of the musician Johnny Cash in the now-iconic music biopic Walk the Line. The film opened up a world of new opportunities for Phoenix, and in the years that followed, he appeared in such high-profile films as The Master, Inherent Vice, You Were Never Really Here, and Joker. Even as Phoenix’s career developed, he continued living on his own terms, rarely granting interviews and often speaking his mind.
