Since his Oscar-winning turn in ‘Joker’, actor Joaquin Phoenix has become too particular about the films he says yes to. He stars in ‘C’mon C’mon’, slated to release in November 2021. But casting him was not an easy task for the film’s director.
Joaquin Phoenix made international waves owing to his turn as arguably the most intense DC character, the Joker. The commercial and critical success was overwhelming. Phoenix is not usually known to be one of the actors who lets his success or failures mess with their heads. Hence, he remained grounded during the ‘success’ interviews. But one thing has clearly changed, for better or worse that is yet to be seen. He has become way more particular about the kind of roles he wants to do. After 2019’s ‘Joker’, he hasn’t really been seen on the big screen. However, in November 2021, he will be seen making a comeback in the drama film titled ‘C’mon C’mon’. The director of this new film revealed in an interview that it took him a long time to finally get Phoenix’s nod for the film.
Highlights —
- Joaquin Phoenix made Mike Mills wait for months
- Joaquin Phoenix’s new film ‘C’mon C’mon’ an Oscar contender
Director Mike Mills is known for directing critically successful films such as ‘Beginners’ and ‘20th Century Women’. He has also won an Academy Award for writing the screenplay of the latter film. He has said on records that he has always wanted to work with Joaquin Phoenix. He went to Phoenix with the script of his latest film, titled ‘C’mon C’mon’. The film is about the struggles of parenthood and stars Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman in the lead roles as an uncle-nephew pair. The duo embarks on a cross country trip and that’s where the bonding happens between the two. This interesting plot intrigued Phoenix and he agreed to do the film.
JOAQUIN PHOENIX MADE MIKE MILS WAIT FOR MONTHS
However, the process to actually get him on board wasn’t easy for Mike. It was also quite a bit of work for Todd Philips, the director of ‘Joker’. But nothing compared to what Mike had to go through. After the initial narration, Phoenix and Mike sat down on the script and broke down every little aspect of it. It ended up being a months’ long task. Apparently, Joaquin wanted to be sure of the director’s vision and the script. Phoenix acted out the film piece by piece. During those sessions, Mike had to play other actors with Phoenix playing Johnny, his character in the film. Slow and steady, a bond was thus formed between the director and the actor and the film and the actor. The sessions ran for 4-5 hours each day and thus, Joaquin came on board.
JOAQUIN PHOENIX’S NEW FILM ‘C’MON C’MON’ AN OSCAR CONTENDER
Mills said that the process was great and he enjoyed his time sitting with the actor, working on the script. In this interview with Los Angeles Times, Mike said that an actor of Phoenix’s calibre won’t be satisfied with the same role. As per him, what worked in his favour was the fact that ‘C’mon C’mon’ was a complete reverse of Joaquin’s previous film ‘Joker’. While ‘Joker’ was a dark, atmospheric study of a man’s descent towards insanity, ‘C’mon C’mon’ is more of a heartfelt and emotional human drama. Joaquin sensed the opportunity and made the best out of it.
The film was shot in black and white and premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, where it was met with great critical acclaim. The talks are already on about the film being a strong Oscar contender, for both the actor and the director. Let’s see how it turns when the film finally releases in the theatres in November 2021.
Tell us in the comments your take on Mike Mills’ potential as a director. Also, tell us if it is viable for Joaquin to star in more DC films?
