Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” brings together two powerhouse actors, Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby, who formed a secret agreement that led to the movie’s most powerful scenes.
Phoenix and Kirby committed themselves to one another fully during the making of this film, and secretly promised to fully trust one another while diving into some dark and unexpected territory. They created a space where they could both be free to explore whatever reactions and responses felt right in the moment. This resulted in an epic, unscripted scene in which Phoenix’s character, Napoleon, slapped Kirby’s character, Josephine.
“It’s the greatest thing when you have a creative partner and you say, ‘Right, everything’s safe. I’m with you. And we’re gonna go to the dark places together’,” Kirby said to Empire.
New look at Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in Ridley Scott’s NAPOLEON
Empire reveal that an unscripted slap was used in agreement between both Phoenix and Kirby as they explored the dark places of one of the film’s most emotional scenes. pic.twitter.com/RreCH6as5Q
— Joaquin Phoenix Updates (@jphoenixupdates) July 31, 2023
There was already a certain tone set for the scene, but Phoenix and Kirby broke the barriers with their own take on it.
“We were using the real words from their divorce in the church,” Kirby said.
“When that happens, you can faithfully go through an archival re-enactment of it and read out the lines and then go home. But we always wanted to surprise each other,” she said.
Napoleon’s unscripted slap didn’t come without boundaries. Phoenix was clear on what Kirby was comfortable with, and where the line was drawn.
Before filming, the actors spoke of their comfort level and willingness to explore the other actor’s instincts, wherever they may go.
Phoenix explained the conversation between them.
“Look, whatever you feel, you can do.’ I said, ‘Same thing with you.’ She said, ‘You can slap me, you can grab me, you can pull me, you can kiss me, whatever it is’,” he said, according to Empire.
“So we had this agreement that we were going to surprise each other and try and create moments that weren’t there, because both of us wanted to avoid the cliché of the period drama. And by that I mean moments that are well-orchestrated and designed,” Phoenix said. (RELATED: ‘I Wish I’d Done That’: Rachel McAdams Explains Why She Turned Down Multiple Box Office Hits)
The actors freely explored Napoleon and Josephine’s chaotic relationship and presented the volatility, and passion that existed between them.
“I don’t know if you can call it love. I don’t know what it was. But we encouraged each other, demanded of each other, to challenge ourselves to shock each other in moments. And that’s what came out of that, that moment,” Phoenix said.