James McAvoy starrer ‘Split‘ became one of the biggest films of the psychological thriller genre in 2016. McAvoy received widespread acclaim for his stellar performance and was nominated for several awards.
But as it turns out, the role wasn’t initially written for him, as the actor has now revealed. McAvoy talked about how Joaquin Phoenix was the first choice for the role but the actor backed out at the last minute and the role went to McAvoy instead.
Joaquin Phoenix Turned Down To Star In ‘Split’ Which Later Went To James McAvoy
Joaquin Phoenix apparently withdrew from the ‘Split’ a few weeks prior to its shooting, as James McAvoy revealed on the ‘Happy Sad Confused‘ podcast. The actor said he was cast in the thriller at the last minute and had only around two weeks to prepare for his numerous roles.
In response to the question of whether replacing Phoenix in the ‘Split’ was strange, McAvoy said, “No, definitely not. I’m confident enough to think that I will do it better anyway. I’m joking. I just like saying the wrong thing.”
The actor added, “Are you kidding? He’s an amazing actor. He’d give a very different performance than the one I did but an incredible one. Sometimes coming in last minute is the best way. I think he ditched it two weeks before they started shooting. It was really last minute. I had a couple of weeks [to prep]. Two weeks. The script was well put together so a lot of it was clear what I wanted to do straight away. A couple characters took a little longer to find. Patricia came quick. Hedwig took awhile.”
Joaquin Phoenix In ‘Joker’
Phoenix is all set to star in the highly anticipated sequel to his Academy Award-winning movie ‘Joker‘, alongside Lady Gaga. Slated to release this October, the movie, as previously reported, is a musical. With Phoenix taking the mike for some incredible singing and Gaga, of course, bringing her incredible musical presence, the teaser seems promising as a musical.
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Though the exact plot details are still unknown, the French translation of the title, “shared madness by two people in close association,” implies that the film will focus on the relationship between Harley Quinn and Joker.
