“Behind the Scenes: How a Last-Minute Change Cast James McAvoy in a Role That Could Have Changed Joaquin Phoenix’s Career”
Added on September 13, 2024 inFree Entertainment News, Free Movie News
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Did you ever wonder what kind of performance James McAvoy would give if he had more than just two weeks to prepare for his roles? Well, buckle up, because the story behind his casting in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split is almost as thrilling as the movie itself! Imagine stepping into the shoes of a character originally meant for Joaquin Phoenix, who—surprise!—decided to bow out just before the cameras rolled. Talk about pressure! McAvoy, known for his incredible talent, revealed this jaw-dropping tale during a chat on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, and it’s hard not to marvel at the unpredictability of Hollywood. I mean, can you picture Phoenix in Split? It almost feels like a different movie, right? So, as McAvoy recounts his whirlwind experience, let’s dive into how last-minute changes can lead to remarkable performances—and maybe a little chaos—behind the scenes!
James McAvoy did such an incredible job juggling multiple characters in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role, but McAvoy was actually a last-minute addition. Joaquin Phoenix had originally signed on to star, and James McAvoy told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he got the role after Phoenix reportedly dropped out just two weeks before shooting was set to begin. Not a lot of time for McAvoy to prepare for so many characters.
The actor didn’t think it was weird to take over the role from Phoenix. “No, definitely not,” he said. “I’m confident enough to think that I will do it better anyway. I’m joking. I just like saying the wrong thing.” He added that Phoenix is “an amazing actor” and would likely have given “a very different performance than the one I did, but I think he’d give an incredible performance.” That would have been interesting to see.
McAvoy continued, “Sometimes coming in last minute is the best way. I think he ditched it two weeks before they started shooting. It was really last minute. I had a couple of weeks [to prep]. Two weeks. The script was well put together so a lot of it was clear what I wanted to do straight away. A couple characters took a little longer to find. Patricia came real quick. Dennis came real quick. Hedwig took awhile.“
Joaquin Phoenix is no stranger to dropping out of projects last minute; in fact, just last month, he exited a gay romance movie from Todd Haynes just days before filming was due to commence. It’s been said that Phoenix got “cold feet” about the project, which has unfortunately been scrapped entirely.
McAvoy can currently be seen in Speak No Evil, a psychological horror thriller which follows an American family who are invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation. But what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare. Our own Tyler Nichols was a fan, particularly of McAvoy’s performance. “James McAvoy is absolutely the star of the show and gives a riveting performance as Paddy. He’s electric from one moment to the next and brings such a chaotic energy,” Nichols wrote. “This is an all-time performance from McAvoy and will likely stand out as a career-best. As evil as the trailers make him out to be, the performance is much more nuanced and he draws you in. He’s like a dog playing with a new toy, just testing how best to tear it apart.” You can check out the rest of Nichols’ review right here.
The post Split star James McAvoy got the role after Joaquin Phoenix dropped out two weeks before shooting appeared first on JoBlo.
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