Pedro Pascal Tapped For Explicit Gay Film Role After Joaquin Phoenix’s Exit
Image: Source: @pascalarchive on Twitter/X and TMDB
The search to replace Joaquin Phoenix after he abruptly pulled out of Todd Haynes’ explicit gay romance film saw producers suggest Hollywood heartthrob Pedro Pascal step into the role.
The Hollywood Reporter shared that there have been a number of attempts to save the unnamed film from its last-minute debacle, where sets had already been built in Mexico and crew members were awaiting the arrival of Phoenix to begin shooting.
Director Haynes has apparently been contemplating recasting the role, which led to Pedro Pascal’s name coming up in conversation. However, despite his credits playing gay in last year’s Strange Way of Life, Pedro Pascal is said to be an unlikely choice considering he’s filming Fantastic Four and The Mandalorian through the rest of the year.
Additionally, sources close to the film say that casting Pascal, a Latino actor, wouldn’t make much sense with the film. Phoenix’s character was meant to be a corrupt cop in 1930s L.A. who fell in love with Danny Ramirez’s nonwhite male character. One talent rep told THR: “Having two Latinos in the role doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
At present, it seems no solutions to the film’s innumerable woes have been found. All that remains are rumours that Haynes’ producers are considering suing Phoenix for millions of dollars to make up for the lost costs of the production. And
Other news on Joaquin Phoenix’s exit
It’s worth nothing that this isn’t the first time Phoenix has attempted to step down from a project at the last minute. The actor reportedly came close to dropping out of 2019’s Joker (a role that won him an Oscar), 2021’s C’mon C’mon and 2023’s Napoleon, but he ultimately took part in each of these projects.
The news about the project came as such a shock to the cast and crew considering Phoenix was apparently the one who jump started the project, not director Haynes.
In a 2023 interview with IndieWire, Haynes said: “The whole experience was prompted by Joaquin, by his daring, his desire to push through barriers and to really get into the uncomfortable places about the relationship. And yet it felt like a very organic process.”
No further information is available about what to expect from the project at present, nor about the impact this decision might have on Phoenix’s career. Regardless, he’s set to lead Joker: Folie à Deux, releasing on October 3.
