Joker Movie Stars Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro Clashed Over One Major Detail Before Filming

WB's Joker movie was a critical and commercial success, and it was interesting behind the scenes as it was on the big screen. It's known that actor Joaquin Phoenix likes to be in the moment when playing a role, and it's also known that Phoenix is a huge fan of Robert De Niro. That's why he was more than thrilled to work with De Niro on Joker, but as revealed in a new interview with GQ, they did have one major disagreement about the film before they starting filming. It wasn't actually over anything regarding Todd Phillips' story or something about their characters, but instead about doing a read-through of the movie before filming, something they are both passionate about in different ways.

Phoenix doesn't like to rehearse, as he would rather not feel secure while acting, reveling in the "pure anxiety" of it all. That's why he doesn't like read-throughs, but De Niro doesn't feel the same way. In fact, De Niro demands them, and when he learned Phoenix might not show up to the read-through for Joker he told Phillips; "Tell him he's an actor and he's got to be there. I like to hear the whole movie and we're going to all get in a room and just read it."

Phoenix was adamant that it wasn't going to happen, telling Phillips, "There's no f****** way I'm doing a read-through."

Phoenix didn't mean it as a sign of disrespect, but regardless he would ultimately head to De Niro's company offices for a read-through. That said, he wasn't invested, mumbling through parts and then going off to a corner of the room to smoke. De Niro would then invite him to his office to talk about it, and while Phoenix wasn't up for it at first, Phillips eventually got him to clear the air.

When they finally met things worked out fine, with De Niro taking Phoenix's face into his hands and kissing him on the cheek, saying "It's going to be OK, bubbeleh."

Ultimately it all worked out, though not for their characters onscreen of course.

Joker stars Phoenix (Arthur Fleck/Joker), Zazie Beetz (Sophie Dumond), Robert De Niro (Murray Franklin), Brett Cullen (Thomas Wayne), Frances Conroy (Penny Fleck), Marc Maron (Ted Marco), Douglas Hodge (Alfred Pennyworth), Josh Pais (Hoyt Vaughn), Bryan Tyree Henry, Bryan Callen, Shea Whigham, and Glen Fleshler. You can find the official description below.

"Drama. Joker centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale."

Joker is available now on home video.