Joaquin Phoenixhas full trust in movie audiences to know what’s right and wrong ahead of the release of his upcoming movie,Joker.
The actor is the latest to portray the disturbed titular villain in Todd Phillip’s movie, which is being hailed both beautiful for its artistry and warned as “dangerous” for its depiction of a murderous character.
“Well, I think that, for most of us, you’re able to tell the difference between right and wrong,” he said at a press conference forJoker,according toIGN. “And those that aren’t are capable of interpreting anything in the way that they may want to. People misinterpret lyrics from songs. They misinterpret passages from books. So I don’t think it’s the responsibility of a filmmaker to teach the audience morality or the difference between right or wrong. I mean, to me, I think that that’s obvious.”
But the film is also making some families of mass shooting victims uncomfortable.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, family members of those killed in the Aurora, Colorado mass shooting during a screening ofThe Dark Knight Risesin 2012 have sent Warner Bros. a letter about their concerns as the movie’s October 4 release date approaches.
“We are calling on you to be a part of the growing chorus of corporate leaders who understand that they have a social responsibility to keep us all safe,” the letter reportedly reads.
Niko Tavernise
While recently promotingJoker, Phoenix walked out of an interviewwith U.K. outletThe Telegraphafter a reporter asked him if he was worried the movie might “perversely end up inspiring exactly the kind of people it’s about, with potentially tragic results.”
“Why? Why would you…? No, no,” Phoenix said before leaving the room, according to the newspaper.
The Telegraphreports Phoenix left the interview for an hour as he talked to a press agent with Warner Bros. The outlet reports the actor returned and explained he panicked because he did not consider the question.
Joker.Niko Tavernise
After the film’s Toronto International Film Festival premiere earlier this month,Collider’s Perri Nemiroffwrote, “#Joker is one of the most unnerving movies I’ve seen in years. Joaquin Phoenix is astounding – the physicality of his work is especially impressive. It’s very well made across the board but I also found it very upsetting & right now I can’t shake that. Need to sit with this more.”
“I saw #Joker — and it is unlike anything before it,” Brandon Davis of ComicBook.comtweeted. “The movie is dark, thrilling, and chilling. An insane masterpiece. The movie absolutely transcends being a comic book film and acts as a character study which, at times, will make audiences uncomfortable in wild ways.”
Jokeropens October 4.
source: people.com
