Joaquin Phoenix has been getting photographed every few months in LA this year. He’s not working, but he seems to be keeping busy, taking martial arts classes and picking up cigarettes and energy drinks. Whenever I see pap photos of him, he seems to be doing well enough. But he hasn’t worked in more than a year. His last film was Woody Allen’s Irrational Man, which filmed in the summer of 2014. While Joaquin has flirted with signing on to some big projects – like Doctor Strange, which Marvel really wanted – nothing has really happened. And now Star Magazine says that Joaquin’s finances are in shambles and he needs to stop being so picky and/or shady.
Joaquin Phoenix is in talks to play Jesus in a new movie, but he needs divine intervention to turn around his finances!
“Joaquin needs to make $5 million a year to support his lifestyle, and so far this year he’s made zero,” an insider says, explaining that his attitude has so far cost him Jared Leto’s role in Suicide Squad, Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman and even the lead in the Doctor Strange flick out this November.
“Getting him to sign on the dotted line is a nightmare,” says an industry insider. “He’ll drag out the salary negotiations for months, which holds up production and costs the studios more money in the end.”
Not he’s hoping to get back in the black by playing the son of God in a Mary Magdalene flick costarring Rooney Mara.
“Joaquin is confident he’ll get the part, but it’s not a done deal,” tattles the friend. “If he starts insisting on things like a feng-shui’d trailer and an on-call vegan chef plus an insane $15 million paycheck, he’s going to lose this role too. And that could mean he’ll be completely out of money by the end of the year.”
[From Star Magazine, print edition]
I never really think of Joaquin as a demanding diva or a money-strapped spendthrift. Is he temperamental? Sure. Does he believe his indie street cred would be damaged by taking roles in comic book movies? Probably. But is he the guy who blows through $5 million a year? Eh. Is he the guy who spends months arguing for bigger and bigger paychecks? Eh. My guess is that Joaquin argues for more money on films he really doesn’t want to do. Also: while the Doctor Strange thing has been verified, I didn’t know Joaquin was up for the Joker and Lex Luthor. Did he really say no to all three parts? Yikes. He would have been a much better and creepier Joker than Jared Leto.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Source Cele Bitchy
