Jen Juneau is a News and Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She started at the brand in 2016 and has more than 15 years' professional writing experience.
Joaquin Phoenix is declining to address his controversial departure from Todd Haynes' untitled gay romance movie just five days before it was scheduled to begin filming.
Phoenix, 49, was asked about the swift exit during a press conference for his upcoming movie Joker: Folie à Deux at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
"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," the Oscar winner told the reporter who asked about the incident.
"I'm not sure how that would be helpful. So I don't think I will," he added.
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The film from writer-director Haynes, 63, was set to be filmed in Guadalajara, Mexico. However, Phoenix never made it south of the U.S. border and pulled out of the film a few days prior while he was in Los Angeles, per IndieWire.
The actor was set to star in the untitled project as a man fleeing to Mexico with his male lover. Haynes, Phoenix and author Jon Raymond developed the story. It appeared that production was on track before financials started to cause a potential rift in the production of the film, which has been shelved indefinitely.
"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's indefinite shelving. "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."
Haynes is said to be moving on from this to work on his next project, Trust, which he will be writing with Raymond, per IndieWire.
Phoenix is currently in attendance at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of the DC Comics adaptation Joker: Folie à Deux, which co-stars Lady Gaga and has its premiere later on Wednesday.
The film is a sequel to the first Joker movie of 2019 that won Phoenix an Academy Award for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck, a.k.a. the Joker.
Joker: Folie à Deux is directed once again by Todd Phillips and follows the aftermath of the first film, with Phoenix's character locked up in Arkham Asylum for his criminal actions. There, he meets Gaga's Lee Quinzel -- soon-to-be Harley Quinn.
Joker: Folie à Deux is in theaters Oct. 4.
The Venice Film Festival is running through Saturday, Sept. 7.
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