It’s been confirmed that the outtake clip from Joker depicting Joaquin Phoenix becoming furious with a crew member was, in fact, staged. The video aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week, during an episode in which Phoenix was a guest, and has since gone viral.

Joker, which premiered this past weekend to record-breaking box office earnings, is a standalone film about the DC comics Batman villain, played to Oscar-predicted perfection by Phoenix. Straying outside the interconnected DCEU, Joker tells a fresh origin story for the infamous antagonist, relegating Bruce Wayne to a minor role portraying his pre-Batman boyhood years. Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker has been engulfed in a fog of controversy since its inception into public awareness, with everything from its hard R rating to threats of gun violence at movie theaters adding fuel to its hungry hype machine. Footage of its star losing his temper and cussing at cinematographer Lawrence Sher only added to the film’s mystique.

But as reported by Business Insider, the outtake was nothing but a hoax perpetrated by Phoenix himself. Sher disclosed in an interview with the website that the movie’s star wished to play a prank on Phillips, and that he disclosed his idea before the shot was taken. So it was no shock to Sher when Phoenix, already looking unhinged in his Joker makeup and attire, asked Phillips to shoot one more take, and proceeded to ridicule and curse at Sher for supposedly whispering while the cameras were rolling. The act fooled Phillips along with the rest of the world.

Sher said of the prank, “He’s such a good actor that nobody even got it on set.” Phoenix took the joke even further during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. After rolling the footage, and upon questioning by the show’s host, he pretended his outrageous actions were real, and even justified. He apologized even as he played up Sher’s propensity for whispering on set.

The revelation that this was all a prank should come as no surprise to those familiar with Phoenix’s past antics. Who could forget the fake documentary he released in 2010, I’m Still Here? After publicly announcing his retirement from acting and growing a bushy, unkempt beard, he and Casey Affleck filmed Phoenix’s purported pursuit of a career in rap. The film depicted him behaving badly, with the involvement of drugs, hookers, and feces all playing into the actor’s alleged descent into madness and addiction. It wasn’t until over a week after release of the movie that Phoenix admitted the whole thing was a hoax. While some may balk at the actor’s shenanigans, who better than a brutally bold practitioner of pranks to play the role of the Joker? Some might argue he’s simply continuing to earn his stripes.

More: Our 11 Biggest Unanswered Questions After Joker

Source: Business Insider

  • Birds of Prey Release Date: 2020-02-07 Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25 The Batman Release Date: 2022-03-04 Suicide Squad 2 Release Date: 2021-08-06 Super Pets Release Date: 2022-07-29 Aquaman 2 Release Date: 2023-12-25