James McAvoy reveals Joaquin Phoenix walked out on the set of a hit film years earlier-Brooke Ivey Johnson-Entertainment – Metro

James McAvoy has revealed that Joaquin Phoenix walked out on the set of a hit film years ago (Picture: REX)

Years before Joaquin Phoenix’s recent departure from Todd Haynes’ film set made headlines, the Oscar-winning actor had another last-minute exit from a hit film.

James McAvoy’s memorable performance in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split almost didn’t happen if it wasn’t for Phoenix’s last minute decision to leave the film.

McAvoy recently opened up about the whirlwind process of stepping into the lead role just two weeks before filming began.

In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, McAvoy detailed how he took over for Phoenix in the 2016 psychological thriller.

Phoenix had exited the project only two weeks before production was set to begin, leaving McAvoy with minimal preparation time for the role of Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man living with dissociative identity disorder and harboring over 20 personalities.

‘I’m confident enough to think I’ll do it better. I’m joking!’ McAvoy joked on the podcast.

James McAvoy spoke about Phoenix’s behaviour on a podcast recently (Picture: Getty Images)

‘He’s an amazing actor. I think he’d give a very different performance to the one I did, but I think he’d give an incredible performance.’

Although stepping into a role under such tight conditions might seem close to impossible, McAvoy found that the urgency of the situation actually helped him focus.

‘Sometimes coming in last minute is the best way,’ he explained. ‘The script was well put together, so a lot of it was pretty clear what I wanted to do straight away.’

McAvoy’s portrayal of Kevin was a remarkable feat of acting, with each of Kevin’s distinct personalities requiring unique acting choices.

Some of the characters, like Patricia and Dennis, came to McAvoy almost instantly.

Others, like the childlike Hedwig, took longer to develop, and it wasn’t until the table read that McAvoy felt he had truly nailed the role.

The actor recently made headlines for walking off Todd Haynes’ set (Picture: Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage)

‘I’m sitting there like, “God, I’ve got to do all these 15 characters and be judged by everybody in the room, including Universal studio executives, including Jason Blum, and I haven’t even found some of the characters,”‘ he recalled.

Despite the pressure, the actor’s portrayal of the multiple characters was a success, and his performance in Split garnered critical acclaim, even as the movie was divisive.

McAvoy reprised his role as Kevin in the 2019 sequel Glass, which concluded Shyamalan’s trilogy that began with 2000’s Unbreakable.

McAvoy’s performance in Split earned critical acclaim (Picture: Universal/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

The revelation about Phoenix’s last-minute exit came on the heels of another newsworthy departure for the actor, who recently left Todd Haynes’ upcoming gay romance film.

Phoenix’s sudden departure just before filming began in Guadalajara, Mexico, has stalled the production, which was also set to star Danny Ramirez.

McAvoy, meanwhile, has had his own share of missed opportunities. The Scottish actor remembered an early audition for a role in the Harry Potter franchise, where he was one of a handful of actors shortlisted during a lengthy seven-month audition process.

McAvoy was brought onto the project last minute (Picture: Universal/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

McAvoy has become a major star since his turn in Split (Picture: Universal/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

The experience led him to make a pivotal decision. ‘I auditioned for it and I think they wanted to put me on a retainer,’ McAvoy revealed. ‘I’d hardly done any work, and they wanted to put us on a retainer so that they could hold us and keep us to choose later.’

The retainer would have paid McAvoy around £40,000 but would have kept him from working on other projects for a long length of time.

After advice from his agent, McAvoy turned down the offer and instead took a much smaller role that paid £275 a week. Reflecting on the decision, McAvoy has no regrets.

‘It was part of the making of me. I was actually learning and doing all that,’ he said, noting that those early, lesser-known roles helped shape him as an actor.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More