Danny Ramirez has broken his silence on the recent drama surrounding Todd Haynes’ untitled gay romance.
Back in August, Joaquin Phoenix made headlines when he abruptly left the project days before filming was set to start.
Since the news was announced, neither Haynes nor The Joker actor have addressed the controversy.
However, in a recent interview with Variety, the film’s other lead star, Ramirez, shared some insight into the shocking turn of events, describing it as a “complicated situation”.
“But I think based on – I mean – just the chance to throw down with those creatives in the room – like the audition process was extensive,” he explained.
“But what I walked away with that was just a full artistic validation of throwing down opposite of [Phoenix] in this chemistry read, and it was very intense and dramatic scenes, that there was a moment where I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve arrived as a performer.’ It felt like we were battling. So, I’m still excited, obviously working with Todd.”
When asked about the possibility of the film moving forward in the future, Ramirez said he was hopeful.
“I’ve been shifting gears to different projects, and so the most recent updates are hopefully, but who knows, it’s just a complicated process,” he said.
The Falcon and The Winter Solider star also revealed where he was when the movie landed in development hell, stating that he was finishing production on The Last of Us season two.
Danny Ramirez talks to Variety about his gay romance film with Joaquin Phoenix who dropped out last minute.
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 20, 2024
“It’s definitely disappointing because whenever you have the chance to throw down with someone of that caliber, obviously Todd as director and Joaquin, I think that’s where, for me, obviously, there’s a lot more people that have been affected in different ways,” he added.
“But yeah, if anything it just gave me more inspiration to keep driving and to keep pushing it and knowing that I’m on the right path and approaching the work the right way, that’s what I’m excited about.”
Toward the end of his interview, Ramirez seemingly shut down his Top Gun Maverick co-star Lewis Pullman and his recent comments about joining the project, revealing that they have other projects in the works.
Haynes’ gay period drama first made waves in May 2023 when the acclaimed director teased the film during an interview with Indie Wire.
“The next film is a feature that’s an original script that I developed with Joaquin Phoenix based on some thoughts and ideas he brought me,” the May December director explained to the news outlet.
“We basically wrote with him as a story writer. Me and Jon Raymond and Joaquin share the story credit. And we hope to be shooting it beginning early next year. It’s a gay love story set in 1930s L.A.”
When discussing the project’s sexual content, Haynes revealed that Phoenix pushed him to “go further,” resulting in it landing in NC-17 territory.
Ironically, sources close to the production reportedly told Variety that the Joker: Folie à Deux star got “cold feet” over the film’s graphic sex scenes, resulting in him dropping out.
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