Tuesday, April 16, 2013

PTA Told Robert Downey Jr. He Was Too Old For ‘Inherent Vice'; Wanted Joaquin Phoenix For The Role


Recently there was much speculation as to why Robert Downey Jr., who had been linked to the lead role of Doc Sportello in "Inherent Vice" for so long, would suddenly decide to drop out of the film just as it's getting ready for production. Many assumed it was because he was too busy with his never-ending Marvel contract but it appears that wasn't the case. In an interview with GQ (via The Playlist), Downey Jr. says it was PTA who decided Downey wasn't right for the role and he wanted Joaquin Phoenix (though the pair are still friends).
 These days the son mentions the father often and fondly, particularly as the proud bearer of a filmmaking legacy that he would like to carry onward. It was also through his father that Downey became close with Paul Thomas Anderson: "He was actually friends with my pop first. And then finally the three of us got together for a meal, and then we kind of branched off. P.T. and I like ribbing each other. He goes, 'How does it feel to be the shortest superstar in the world?' And I say, 'It's amazing. And who tagged on that other act in the movie after Joaquin drove off on the motorcycle? Because the movie ended there, right?' He just laughs. We live to rib each other, because he is as far on one side of the scale as I am to the other, presently, in people's perception, and yet we could finish each other's sentences all day." They discussed the possibility that Downey might be in Anderson's next movie, an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice, and Downey says that he was into it but that Anderson ultimately wanted to make the movie with Joaquin Phoenix. "I think he told me I'm too old," says Downey, amused. "Which I love when people tell me."
The profile also hints at RDJ wanting to back away from franchises and into some more personal work so perhaps its possible a future collaboration between the two could be in the cards. As for 'Vice,' when we spoke to producer JoAnne Sellar back in January she said they were hoping to start filming in "late April/early May." Though we haven't heard a peep out of production regarding any other casting yet, Joaquin's facial hair indicates that things should be getting underway very, very shortly. (If he shaves, we'll start to worry.) Have you heard anything regarding production? Drop us a line.

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20 comments:

  1. Joaquin is much better for the role. Plus RDJ is annoying.

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  2. RDJ isn't annoying. If you read the book you'd see how well he fit the character. I'm not sure how Joaquin will fit in, though if Paul trusts him, I trust him.

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  3. I've been preaching that RDJ is too old since his name popped up in the rumour mill. Nice to be vindicated :)

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  4. After The Master I'm gunna trust Joaquin with this one, and I know RDJ has a penchant for improvising and PTA's scripts shouldn't be messed with

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    1. PTA loves improving with his actors. i don't think it would have been a problem.

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  5. Finally- SOMETHING about IV........... now, wheres the rest of the cast???

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  6. Even Joaquin Phoenix is about 10 years too old to play Sportello, but I think PTA is going to make almost every character about 10 years older for the movie.

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  7. How can someone who is one of the biggest and most talented actors in the biz be wrong for a part, or too old for a part? Has anyone heard of makeup to help turn back the clock? RDJ played a hippie type detective/journalist character in Zodiac and was perfect. The way RDJ played Paul Avery was superb. He stole the show. RDJ would have brought enormous star power to Inherent Vice. By saying, "Paul told me I was too old," BS, in other words....he passed on the project. Of course the other reason could be RDJ wanted too much money to be in Inherent Vice and because The Master underperformed at the box office Ellison isn't being as generous with the funds this time around.

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    1. you make some really good points here. I think his character in Zodiac was a fair glimpse as to what we could have expected with IV. He reportedly made ~50 million off the Avengers series... so fishing for a more expensive contract wouldn't surprise me, even if PTA and RDJ are close friends

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  8. I think that says a lot about Paul. That he has his friend ready for the role, and it means instant box office bills, and he's a good actor and could play the role, and yet he says no because he's more focused on who would be best for the role. That is an oddity in this biz.

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  9. I was halfway through Inherent Vice when RDJ's name was replaced with Joaquin's and I had to start again from the beginning. It was too weird. They're so different. It's kind of hard to picture Joaquin as Doc since I thought RDJ was so perfect for it but like Shane Shearer said above, I trust Paul. He knows what he's doing. Plus, I'm really excited to see what Joaquin can do with this kind of role.

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  11. How old is Shasta suppose to be in the novel? I always pictured her younger than Doc.

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  12. I think Shasta is late 20s or early 30s. She's old enough that she's basically a washed-up actress. That's why she gets involved with the creepy real estate guy.

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