Joker cast: Why did Joaquin Phoenix walk out of DC movie interview?

Joker is the upcoming film from Warner Bros, telling the origin story of DC Comics’ most renowned villain. Joaquin Phoenix is taking on the role of the infamous villain, in a story which is expected to shocks fans. But no one was more shocked than an interviewer who spoke to Phoenix about the film.

Why did Joaquin Phoenix walk of a Joker interview?

It turned out the Joker was not being funny when he was questioned by Telegraph journalist Robbie Collin.

Collins seems to have put a fairly standard question to Phoenix, but for some reason it had a surprising response from the star – so much so that he walked out.

The question was simply this: “Aren’t you worried that this film might perversely end up inspiring exactly the kind of people it’s about, with potentially tragic results?”

According to Collin, Phoenix’s “fight or flight” response seemed to kick in.

Collin described the encounter in an article, saying: “On this pricklingly hot West Hollywood day, inside a nondescript business hotel, he looks like an Arctic wolf lost in a shopping centre.

“But despite the heat, the atmosphere in the room has taken on a tundra-like chill.

“‘Why?’ he eventually mutters, his lip curling up at one side. Why would you…? No… no.’

“Then he stands up, shuffles towards me, clasps my hands between his, and walks out of the door.”

This response came from his question about potential “copy-cats” to Joker’s villainy, which does not seem an unfair question given the film’s harrowing subject matter.

However, Collin reveals the interview did not quite end there, as “an hour’s peace-brokering” with the PR team at Warner Bros meant Phoenix returned to the interview, explaining how the question had not crossed his mind before and he panicked.

Phoenix then asked his interviewer: “Did you bug out?”

Naturally, the answer would be yes if an A-list star waltzed out of an interview after a moment of panic-stricken confusion.

The question asked, however, does seem valid, as the film follows a vulnerable stand-up comedian whose career failures leads him to lash out at the world, and become on of the most dangerous characters in comic book history.

Such an idea has been explored in film before, such as in Martin Scorcese’s King of Comedy, and a similarly disturbed individual attempted horrific carnage in Scorcese’s Taxi Driver, which was another touch point for Phoenix.

The idea that people could perform similar acts based on their reading of comics or watching of film and TV is not a new one, but clearly not something Phoenix had considered before the fateful interview.

What is Joker about?

Joker follows Arthur Fleck, a depressed, struggling stand-up comedian who tries to get his big break through his idol, a talk-show host played by Robert De Niro (making another allusion to King of Comedy.)

But a series of unfortunate events leads of the switch flicking in Fleck’s brain, and crime becomes his only outlet and route to fortune.

Joke is out in cinemas on October 4