Joaquin Phoenix refuses to reveal why he quit gay romance film: ‘Not sure how that would be helpful’

Joaquin Phoenix isn’t speaking on his sudden departure from Todd Haynes’ NC-17 gay detective romance movie — just five days before the film was set to start filming.

The 49-year-old was asked about his controversial exit during a press conference for his upcoming movie,
“Joker: Folie à Deux,” at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday.

“I think if I do [speak about the reasoning], I’d just be sharing my opinion from my perspective, and the other creatives aren’t here to say their piece, and it just doesn’t feel like that would be right,” Phoenix explained.

“I’m not sure how that would be helpful. So I don’t think I will,” the Oscar winner added.

The film from Haynes, 63, was set to begin shooting in Guadalajara, Mexico, but Phoenix pulled the plug while still in Los Angeles, IndieWire reported Aug 9. The untitled project — about a man fleeing south of the U.S. border with his male lover — was developed by Haynes, Phoenix, and author Jon Raymond.

The movie has since been shelved indefinitely after financials started creating a potential production rift.

“Joaquin was pushing me further and going, ‘No, let’s go further.’ This will be an NC-17 film,” Haynes told IndieWire before the film was axed. “The whole experience was prompted by Joaquin. It was prompted by his daring, his desire to push through barriers and to really get into the uncomfortable places about this relationship. And yet it felt like a very organic process.”

Per IndieWire, the filmmaker is said to be moving on to his next project, “Trust,” alongside Raymond, 53.

Deadline reported that the movie was scrapped entirely just two weeks after Phoenix parted ways with the production. The entire production was left in limbo due to the actor’s swift withdrawal. Although producers tried to keep the project together, they allegedly fell short. 

According to Variety last month, all sets had already been built on location, and crew members have now been left out of work and need to be paid. Production losses are potentially exceeding seven figures. 

A source close to the film told the outlet that the Phoenix star got “cold feet.” Per Page Six, a source claimed that the “subject matter of the film was a factor.”

Other insiders tell a different story, suggesting that isn’t the case since Phoenix was the one who brought Haynes the idea in the first place and wanted to push the envelope.

The “Hill Street Blues” alum was supposed to star opposite Danny Ramirez (“Top Gun: Maverick”), who signed onto the project in July. The 31-year-old actor was recently at Comic-Con promoting Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World.”