Entertainment
Sir Ridley Scott says Napoleon got rewritten for Joaquin Phoenix due to his ‘constant questioning’, but he’s not mad-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro
‘It made it all grow bigger and better,’ the director said.
Oscar winner Phoenix was very invested in the character of Napoelon (Picture: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Sir Ridley Scott has revealedthe entire script of his new movie, Napoleon, was pretty much rewritten in order to make leading actor Joaquin Phoenix more comfortable as he was asking so many questions.
And he’s not even angry about it.
Formerly known as Kitbag, the historic epic is described as ‘an original and personal look at Napoleon Bonaparte’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor’.
It will also focus on his often volatile relationship with this wife Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby.
‘Joaquin is about as far from conventional as you can get. Not deliberately, but out of intuition. That’s what makes him tick. If something bothers him, he’ll let you know,’ Sir Ridley shared.
Saying that he made the movie ‘special by constantly questioning’, the 85-year-old director added: ‘With Joaquin, we can rewrite the goddamn film because he’s uncomfortable. And that kind of happened with Napoleon.’
Sir Ridley said he ‘resepcted’ all the questions because they helped improve the script (Picture: Getty)
‘We unpicked the film to help him focus on who Bonaparte was. I had to respect that because what was being said was incredibly constructive. It made it all grow bigger and better,’ he told Empire magazine.
The Gladiator and Thelma & Louise director, who had two movies released last year with House of Gucci and The Last Duel, also described working with Phoenix as ‘one of my most challenging but also one of my best experiences, with any actor’.
The Apple Original movie was originally penned by David Scarpa, and also stars Ben Miles, Doc Martin actor Ian McNeice, Paul Rhys and House of the Dragon’s Matthew Needham.
The actor on set as Napoleon in his impressive costume (Picture: Click News/Goff/SplashNews.com)
A painting of the French emperor in 1807 by Merry Joseph Blondel (Picture: Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)
Stunning pictures of the Oscar-winning Walk the Line actor on set in full Napoleon garb were first seen by the world in March, as they filmed in Greenwich, south east London, which stood in for 18th century France.
He looked a far cry from his Joker days in military regalia, complete with golden trimming, complete with the instantly recognisable hat.
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Napoleon marks a reunion for Phoenix and Sir Ridley, who last worked together over 20 years ago on Gladiator, when the actor played the part of vicious Roman ruler (and another emperor), Commodus.
It’s been confirmed that Phoenix will return to his award-winning role of Arthur Fleck, a.k.a Joker, for musical sequel Joker: Folie à Deux opposite Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.
Napoloen will be released on Apple TV Plus in 2023.
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