Joaquin Phoenix Once Turned Down Doctor Strange Role

It’s always interesting to hear about casting what-ifs in your favorite movies. Of course it’s no secret that landing a star can take a very long time, and depending if the creators are really looking for something specific, there could be many actors lined up as potentials. For example, could you imagine Joaquin Phoenix as Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

2016’s Doctor Strange would’ve been Phoenix’s first introduction into the MCU, and although he hadn’t really shown interest in superhero movies prior, the actor had a few things to say about his almost-role.

“I think they make some great, fun movies,” Phoenix said to Little White Lies regarding the MCU. “There's nothing wrong... I'm not a f**king, like, cinephile. I'm not a snob and I'm totally fine with... I enjoy those movies sometimes, and I think they keep the f**king industry going in some ways, so I don't have a problem with it at all. I think that everybody was, is... I'm trying to figure out how to say this most diplomatically, okay... I think everybody was really happy with how things turned out. All parties were satisfied.”

Phoenix didn’t elaborate on what exactly happened to him playing Stephen Strange, but he did make it clear there’s no bad blood between him and the studio. And just a few years later, he got his real chance at starring in a superhero film, this time based on DC Comics.

The 44-year-old actor will play the Joker in the upcoming titular film by Todd Phillips, set to hit theaters on Oct. 4, 2019.

h/t: [CinemaBlend]