Joaquin Phoenix slapped Vanessa Kirby as part of an agreement to “shock each other” on the set of ‘Napoleon’
Joaquin Phoenix has admitted he slapped his co-star Vanessa Kirby while shooting Ridley Scott’s new movie, Napoleon.
Fortunately, Phoenix had Kirby’s consent to do so as part of an agreement between the two stars to “shock each other” and keep Napoleon fresh.
“She said, ‘look, whatever you feel, you can do’,” Phoenix told Empire. “I said, ‘same thing to you.’ She said, ‘You can slap me, you can grab me, you can pull me, you can kiss me, whatever it is.’ So 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”.
Kirby added: “We were using the real words from their divorce in the church,” she said. “When that happens, you can faithfully go through an archival re-enactment of it and read out the lines and then go home. But we always wanted to surprise each other”.
She continued: “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’”.
Napoleon is an epic historical drama film helmed by director and producer Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa.
The film delves into the true story of Napoleon Bonaparte, chronicling his ascent to power and exploring the intricate dynamics of his relationship with Empress Joséphine.
Napoleon will be in theatres on November 22nd, 2023, before streaming exclusively on Apple TV+.
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