“This little demon… He looks like him”: Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-Winning Maniacal Role Convinced Director He Was Born To Play Napoleon
Joaquin Phoenix is one of the most talented actors in the Hollywood industry. Not only his acting but his unique voice has been utilized greatly. He had narrated several documentaries like Earthlings, Unity, and Dominion. Interestingly, his incredible performance in a maniacal role landed him the lead role in the upcoming film Napoleon.
Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in Joker bagged him the role of Napoleon
Director Ridley Scott is a renowned name in the film industry. He is recognized for his extraordinary work. He is well-known for directing the epic Gladiator in 2000, in which Joaquin Phoenix portrayed the iconic tyrant Commodus. What’s truly intriguing, though, is that it wasn’t their work together on Gladiator that persuaded director Ridley Scott that Joaquin Phoenix would be the ideal Napoleon Bonaparte. But it was Phoenix’s other well-known performance as Arthur Fleck in Joker, for which he received an Oscar, that sealed the deal. Phoenix’s transforming performance in Joker left Ridley Scott so impressed that he thought Phoenix had the charisma and talent to bring Napoleon to life.
When speaking to Empire, director Ridley Scott said,
“I’m staring at Joaquin and saying, ‘This little demon is Napoleon Bonaparte.’ He looks like him.”
Phoenix’s portrayal of the disturbed Arthur Fleck in Joker was an outstanding display of his acting prowess. It showed his ability to delve deeply into complicated characters. Scott was persuaded by this to believe Phoenix possessed the depth and passion necessary to portray Napoleon Bonaparte. Joaquin Phoenix will portray one of history’s most recognizable figures in Scott’s next biopic, which fans of both Phoenix and historical epics eagerly anticipate.
What to expect from the upcoming movie Napoleon
Along with epic battle scenes, the upcoming movie will also focus on Napoleon’s troubled relationship with Empress Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby. Napoleon can be an outstanding addition to the great war film collection. This will be because of Phoenix’s extraordinary skill and Scott’s brilliant directing.
With Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in the lead roles, Ridley Scott’s next Napoleon Bonaparte movie adopts a novel task by focusing on the turbulent romance between Napoleon and Josephine de Beauharnais. Scott was adamant about maintaining the story’s core centered on their complicated romance, even though it may have been simple to concentrate only on the grand battles. Scott was interested to learn about the complicated relationship more. This required him to look beyond the battlefield and into these historical people’s inner lives.
Napoleon is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2023.
Source: Empire
