Ari Aster describes career highlight of working with Joaquin Phoenix on ‘Beau Is Afraid’
Director Ari Aster has said it was a career highlight to work with Joaquin Phoenix on his upcoming film, Beau Is Afraid.
Aster’s forthcoming film tells the story of a man riddled with anxiety who confronts his darkest fears and embarks on an epic odyssey following the death of his mother. Starring Phoenix, the ambitious new movie looks to be a potential awards contender, with other cast members including Parker Posey, Amy Ryan, Zoe Lister-Jones, Nathan Lane and Richard Kind.
At a surprise screening of the three-hour film at Brooklyn’s Alamo Drafthouse, Aster explored his new creation and lifted the lid on what it’s like to work with Phoenix. “He’s so beyond committed,” Aster told those in the Drafthouse. “He really makes decisions carefully because when he takes something on it’s his whole life. Every dangerous thing that Beau does, Joaquin did.”
After one particularly dangerous take which saw Phoenix smash through glass doors, the actor was left with a shard of glass in him. “I think we did one more take after that,” Aster said. “I knew that it was bad because he was letting people touch him,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a recently released behind-the-scenes video, Aster stated: “I’ve been thinking about this movie for, like, 10 years. There’s a part of me that can’t believe we’re making this film. It’s epic, jumbo. Every detail has a detail inside of it. If you pumped a 10-year-old full of Zoloft and had him get your groceries, that’s like this movie…I feel a great responsibility to deliver something amazing”.
Watch the trailer for Beau Is Afraid below.
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