Nearly 25 years later, 'Gladiator' director Ridley Scott revealed that Joaquin Phoenix almost backed out of his Oscar-nominated role.

"Gladiator" director Ridley Scott recently told The New York Times (via Entertainment Weekly) that Russell Crowe told Joaquin Phoenix he was being "terribly unprofessional" on set when Phoenix was getting cold feet and had to be convinced to stay on the movie.

“I’ve lit the fuse,” Scott said. “The ending of ‘Gladiator II’ is reminiscent of ‘The Godfather,’ with Michael Corleone finding himself with a job he didn’t want, and wondering, ‘Now, Father, what do I do?‘ So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn’t want to be where he is.”

Joaquin Phoenix tried quitting “Gladiator” mid-shoot before being persuaded to stay by Ridley Scott, the director said in an interview published Thursday. Ahead of the film’s sequel, “Gladiator II,” Scott told the New York Times that Phoenix ...

The 2000s Gladiator was a masterpiece, with Russell Crowe leading the film, it was Joaquin Phoenix who had a great impact on the audience. However, the Joker actor had almost quit the project mid-filming.

Joaquin Phoenix had hesitations about his now iconic role in the 2000 historical epic Gladiator, and almost dropped out, according to Ridley Scott. Speaking to The New York Times in a recent interview,

Gladiator' was a "baptism of fire for both of us in the beginning," Ridley Scott said of how he and Joaquin Phoenix approached making the 2000 film According to director Ridley Scott, Joaquin Phoenix nearly dropped out of 2000's Gladiator.