Director Ridley Scott Opens Up About Casting Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon: ‘I Saw Him And…’ – News18

Director Ridley Scott and Academy Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix are receiving phenomenal global reviews for their upcoming spectacle-filled action epic, Napoleon, which brings forth the story of history’s greatest warrior and emperor. The film details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

Talking about how he found his Napoleon, director Ridley Scott shares that for him it was after seeing Joaquin’s Academy Award-winning performance in Joker that he was reminded of their collaboration on Gladiator, and knew that he would be perfect for the role, the director shared, “I saw him and it all came flooding back – how we worked on Gladiator, and what journey he went on with that character, and I thought, ‘God damn, there’s Napoleon.’”

For the unversed, Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix worked Gladiator in 2000. Phoenix played the role of Commodus in the film. The film won Best Picture at the Oscars. Ridley and Phoenix were nominated for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, but did not win.

Meanwhile, Napoleon captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed. Apart from Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby as Empress Joséphine, Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, Ben Miles as Caulaincourt, Ludivine Sagnier as Thérésa Cabarrus (Madame Tallien), and Matthew Needham as Lucien Bonaparte.

Sony Pictures Entertainment India releases ‘Napoleon’ on 24th November, 2023 in English and Hindi, only in cinemas.