'Gladiator' director recalls Joaquin Phoenix's ‘unprofessional’ drama

Gladiator director Ridley Scott recently opened up about Joaquin Phoenix's "terribly unprofessional" attitude on set more than two decades after the film's release.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Scott revealed that Phoenix nearly quit the 2000 epic film amid shooting.

"He was in his prince’s outfit, saying, 'I can’t do it,'" the director recalled. "I said, 'What?'" he explained how Phoenix almost dropped out of his role as the villainous Commodus, leaving co-star Russell Crowe to step in and call him out.

"Russell said, 'This is terribly unprofessional,'" Scott, 86, remembered. After some persuasion, Phoenix ultimately decided to stay on board.

Phoenix’s decision to continue filming Gladiator turned out to be a game changing moment in his career as notably, his performance in the film earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

"I can act as a big brother or a dad, but I’m quite a friend of Joaquin’s," Scott reflected on his bond with Phoenix, adding, "Gladiator was a baptism of fire for both of us in the beginning."

The director’s comments come in the wake of Phoenix reportedly storming off the set of Todd Haynes’ upcoming gay romance film in July.

The production, which was set to co-star Danny Ramirez, has since been halted, with filming in Guadalajara, Mexico, coming to an abrupt end.