The more we learn about Joaquin Phoenix getting “cold feet” over NC-17 gay romance movie, the more questions we have
potentially NC-17 gay romance for acclaimed director Todd Haynes (May December, Carol) about two men in 1930s LA who fall in love and have to flee to Mexico.Well, mere days before production on this untitled film was set to begin, Phoenix himself was on the lam—on the nose, much?Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.According to IndieWire, the Joker: Folie á Deux star dropped out just as cast and crew was ramping up to shoot in Guadalajara, Mexico in July, putting the entire production on indefinite hold without him.
Per reporting, the rash, last-minute decision left many people in limbo, from the film’s financiers to the production crew who still need to be compensated for their work.He helped write and produce this.
After this shit he should be blacklisted. Bitch it was your idea in the first place. https://t.co/qZ77LyBicsImmediately, speculation turned to why the actor would ditch the project, with many wondering if it had to do with the supposed explicit nature of the story—it was set to be Phoenix’s first gay onscreen role, after all.But the odd thing was: it was all his idea! “The whole experience was prompted by Joaquin,” Haynes told IndieWire in late 2023. “It was prompted by his daring, his desire to push through barriers and to really get into the uncomfortable places about this relationship.”Want to spice up your next “Netflix and chill” night?
Boy, we have the list for you!After bringing the idea to the director, the two worked alongside screenwriter Jonathan Raymond (who co-wrote Haynes’ 2011 Mildred Pierce miniseries), and Phoenix continued to push it “further into more dangerous territory, sexually.”As the news spread across the internet, the cinephiles of Gay Twitter X™ began dragging Phoenix through the mud for leaving Haynes and his crew hanging without a Plan B.
