There are as many reasons why big actors and big franchises don’t come together as there are rumors that they are going to, but the stories behind the Joaquin Phoenix rumors for Batman V Superman and the Doctor Strange rumors have always intrigued and confused me.
Since returning from his I’m Still Here sabbatical that followed his breakout performance in Walk the Line, Phoenix has carved out a very focused and laudable career for himself. To accomplish this, he has put his fate into the hands of directors like Spike Jonze and Paul Thomas Anderson, and he has chosen projects that are unique and depthy like Her, The Master, and the upcoming Inherent Vice. Do the above superhero films meet that criteria? Maybe not on their face, but Phoenix seems more open minded to the possibility than I would have imagined. Here’s an excerpt from his recent interview with Playboy (link may be NSFW), where he vaguely talks about it.
PLAYBOY: There was a rumor that you might be getting in shape to star in the Marvel Studios superhero epic Doctor Strange. But those negotiations seem to have faltered.
PHOENIX: I can’t talk about it. I’ve met on all sorts of movies throughout the years. What seems appealing about some of them is the idea of pushing myself in a way that’s out of my comfort zone. But really, it’s what I’m always looking for—good characters, big ideas and a passionate filmmaker. If those things line up with any kind of movie, I have interest in it.
To me, “any kind of movie” is the key term. I never took into account the possibility that Phoenix, who also praised Iron Man in the interview, would want to break out of the box that he has been put into by his choices if he found the right situation.
In hindsight, it’s sort of weird that I didn’t consider that when you look at what I’m Still Here was: a seeming effort by Phoenix to break out of the box that he had been put into by his choices. The problem is, that project is still regarded as a misstep or an embarrassment by a lot of people. It’s something that Phoenix has had to overcome. But he probably sees it as an artistic endeavor, and thus, he might be willing to repeat the exercise in a less caustic way if the right film came along to take him outside of his comfort zone.
It’s all a matter of perspective, I suppose.
Via The Playlist
