Joaquin Phoenix On Slapping Vanessa Kirby In Unscripted ‘Napoleon’ Scene: ‘We Had This Agreement To Surprise Each Other’
By .
Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby really let each other have it while filming an intense fight scene in their latest film, “Napoleon”.
Phoenix, 48, plays the infamous French Emperor in the Ridley Scott movie, while Kirby, 35, takes on the role of Joséphine de Beauharnais, with whom Napoleon had an on-and-off relationship.
READ MORE:
‘Napoleon’ Trailer: Joaquin Phoenix Builds An Empire In Ridley Scott’s Historical Epic
The movie aims to tell the revolutionary tale of his leadership and his explosive marriage throughout his controversial rulership.
In an unscripted scene in the film, Joaquin slaps Kirby while depicting a fight between the two characters, a moment the two went into with open minds and arms.
“We had this agreement that we were going to surprise each other and try and create moments that weren’t there, because both of us wanted to avoid the cliché of the period drama. And by that I mean moments that are well-orchestrated and designed,” explained Joaquin in a recent interview with Empire magazine.
READ MORE:
Lady Gaga Flashes An Eye-Popping Smile In Latest ‘Joker’ Pictures
“[Kirby] said, ‘Look, whoatever you feel, you can do.’ I said, ‘Same thing with you.’ She said, ‘You can slap me, you can grab me, you can pull me, you can kiss me, whatever it is,’” Phoenix explained in the conversation.
Despite being the victim of Phoenix’s slap, Kirby praised the situation for it’s raw depiction shared between two actors: “It’s the greatest thing when you have a creative partner and you say, ‘Right, everything’s safe. I’m with you. And we’re gonna go to the dark places together.’”
“Napolean” hits theatres on November 22.
