Ridley Scott On Capturing Epic ‘Napoleon’ & Why He Chose Joaquin Phoenix To Play The Emperor – Contenders London
deadline.comNapoleon director-producer Ridley Scott was on stage at Deadline’s Contenders London event to discuss the journey behind his latest epic and why he chose Joaquin Phoenix to portray the iconic Emperor.
Speaking about casting Phoenix, who he had previously worked with on Gladiator, filmmaking legend Scott told the audience that he had always viewed Phoenix’s character in that movie as “the most sympathetic character in Gladiator, being the product of such a neglectful father.” He continued: “I was blown away by his outrageous film Joker.
I didn’t like the way it celebrated violence but Joaquin was remarkable. I thought he’d be an amazing asset to Napoleon, [not only creatively] also in a commercial sense.
There were only two actors I had in mind for the role. I won’t mention the other one.” Apple has partnered with Sony Pictures Entertainment for a November 22 worldwide theatrical release launch for Napoleon, the historical action epic in which Phoenix stars as French conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte and Vanessa Kirby plays Empress Josephine.
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