Russell Crowe once called out Joaquin Phoenix for trying to quit 'Gladiator'

Joaquin Phoenix almost quit Ridley Scott’s Gladiator during filming, and got called out by Russell Crowe.

Speaking to the New York Times about Gladiator II, director Scott was asked to comment on Phoenix’s reputation of leaving projects. He revealed that the Joker star wanted to quit Gladiator in the middle of filming.

“He was in his prince’s outfit saying, ‘I can’t do it.’ I said, ‘What?’ And Russell [Crowe] said, ‘This is terribly unprofessional,'” Scott recalled.

However, the director then convinced Phoenix to complete the film.

“I can act as a big brother or dad. But I’m quite a friend of Joaquin’s. Gladiator was a baptism of fire for both of us in the beginning,” Scott said.

Scott later cast Phoenix in the titular role in 2023’s Napoleon.

Phoenix made headlines for leaving the Todd Haynes-led gay romance film a few days before it was set to start filming. The actor even worked on the screenplay alongside Haynes and Jon Raymond, and his exit got the film cancelled.

Following his exit from the Todd Haynes film, Split star James McAvoy that Joaquin Phoenix also exited the M. Night Shyamalan film only two weeks before it had to start filming. “I think he ditched it two weeks before they started shooting. It was really last minute.”