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Joaquin Phoenix Tried to Drop Out of Original Gladiator, Recalls Director Ridley Scott: 'I Can't Do It'

Ridley Scott recalled Joaquin Phoenix saying 'I can’t do it' at one point during the production of 2000's original 'Gladiator' movie, and Russell Crowe saying, according to Scott, 'This is terribly unprofessional.'

While Scott, 86, spoke with The New York Times about his new sequel Gladiator II in an interview published Thursday, Nov. 7, reporter Kyle Buchanan asked to confirm a story he heard that Phoenix, 50, had to be convinced to stay on the project. Phoenix famously portrayed Gladiator's villain Commodus, who sets off the film's conflict by murdering his father, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. The question regarding Phoenix came up as Scott discussed actor Barry Keoghan, who was at one point locked to play a prominent antagonist role in Gladiator II.

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