I disagree with Matt Neglia, who writes:
Granted, the Oscars are a popularity contest and everyone knows that. But actors have only one job: to nominate the best. That’s all. That’s their job. Is that how it works? No. It’s driven by publicists, money and buzz. When I read that tweet, I felt a little sick, not because of Matt Neglia or anything, but because of the Eye of Sauron that is always on us, watching everything we do, silently judging, whispering behind people’s backs and forcing apologies. The court of public opinion has never been more powerful.
But if the award winners punish Joaquin Phoenix for this, even though his follow-up to Joker is just as good as the original, then they are complete frauds. Whatever his reasons for leaving the project, they have nothing to do with whether or not he gave a great performance in a completely different film.
From Fiction Horizon:
As for the project, not much is actually known. We do know that it was Haynes’ next project after the Oscar-nominated psychological thriller drama May December and that Phoenix was a driving force behind the project. It was likely an NC-17 piece, as the gay crime drama was supposed to be very explicit, as Haynes explained, and it seems that Phoenix himself was the driving force behind it, as well as one of the writers:
“The next film is a feature film, the original screenplay of which I developed with Joaquin Phoenix, based on some thoughts and ideas he gave me. He was basically our screenwriter. Jon Raymond, Joaquin and I share the story. And we hope to start shooting early next year. It’s a gay love story set in 1930s Los Angeles. Joaquin kept pushing me and said, ‘No, let’s go further.’ This will be a film that is rated 17+.”
Source: IndieWire
But in July, just five days before filming began in Mexico, where the cast and crew had already gathered, news came from the US that Phoenix was dropping out of the project. The media has not yet been able to get an official statement from Phoenix or Killer Films, who are behind the film, but this outcome is definitely a surprise, as Haynes said that Phoenix was the one who put a lot of himself into the film.
Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens all the time in Hollywood. Projects are abruptly stopped for a variety of reasons. There could be allegations of bad behavior on set. The money could dry up. Someone at the top could get nervous. Is it a bummer that so many people were counting on getting paid? Of course. I don’t know the reason he dropped out, but to suggest that this should affect his nomination for Joker: Folie à Deux is going too far.
