The choice to cast Joaquin Phoenix in the upcoming film “Joker” is interesting, to say the least. The actor is surely going to give the role every ounce of his being, and will no doubt give a performance that will be memorable, good or bad. However, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the actor signing on to a major comic book film is the prospect of the notorious tight-lipped Phoenix dealing with vocal fans and the never-ending press junkets. How is he going to hold up?
READ MORE: Robert De Niro May Appear In The ‘Joker’ Movie Alongside Joaquin Phoenix
Well, if a new interview with IndieWire is any indication, it doesn’t appear like Phoenix gives a shit, either way. While promoting the upcoming “The Sisters Brothers,” which premieres next month in Venice and has another festival showing in Toronto a few days later, the actor was asked about the upcoming “Joker.” Assuming that production does begin in the fall, many are curious what Phoenix is doing to prepare for the highly-anticipated film and what he thinks of the ridiculous amount of expectations placed on him for taking a role that has seen big names either flourish or crash and burn.
First off, the whole idea of talking about “Joker” seems to annoy the actor. “It is ideal to be able to focus on one thing and not do press while you’re prepping for something else, which is not working out,” he said.
However, when he was asked about the expectations and pressure of tackling such a well-known and beloved character, Phoenix doesn’t mince words.
“I could care less,” Phoenix said. “I don’t really think that much about what people think. Who cares, who cares? My approach to every movie is the same. What I’m interested in is the filmmaker and the idea of the character.”
As far as we know, the filmmaker on “Joker” is none other than Todd Phillips and the idea of the character seems to be a gritty, realistic origin story about the mysterious Batman villain. But if Phoenix is getting annoyed now, just wait until next year’s press junket.
“Joker” is expected to hit theaters on October 4, 2019.