Joaquin Phoenix walked out of an interview recently when a reporter from “The Telegraph” asked him if he worried that his new film might inspire violence.
It happened when the U.K. outlet was interviewing the 44-year-old actor about his upcoming film “Joker” and asked, “Aren’t you worried that this film might perversely end up inspiring exactly the kind of people it’s about, with potentially tragic results,” per Fox News in a piece published Monday. (RELATED: Watch Joaquin Phoenix In The First Trailer For ‘Joker’)
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The “Gladiator” star, per the reporter, replied, “‘Why would you…? No… no,'” before he left for about an hour and spoke with a Warner Bros publicist “to get things back on track.” He did eventually return to finish the interview. (RELATED: Check Out Joaquin Phoenix As The Joker In Terrifying Photo From The New Movie)
Phoenix later explained that he panicked over the question because he really hadn’t thought prior about what the reporter asked.
When the interview resumed, the “Walk The Line” star never went back and answered the question.
“An original standalone origin story of the iconic villain not seen before on the big screen, it’s a gritty character study of Arthur Fleck, a man disregarded by society, and a broader cautionary tale,” a description about the film read on IMDB.
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The film, directed by Todd Phillips, stars Phoenix as the “Joker” alongside Robert DeNiro. It is already being talked about as a possible Oscar contender.
“Joker” hits theaters October 4.