Warning: This article includes minor spoilers from Joker.
For quite some time, Joaquin Phoenix has been one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. He seems to completely disappear in each role and deliver the kind of performances that feel like magic tricks. His leading role in Joker showcases a new level of his talent as he crafted a standout origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime with director/co-writer Todd Phillips. Phoenix even improvised a few sequences on a whim – including that signature moment where Arthur Fleck throws everything out of the fridge and crawls inside.
The scene was apparently filmed in one take too! Joaquin Phoenix working on the fly definitely produced some incredible moments and is no doubt the exact reason he was cast in the role. Todd Phillips previously revealed that Arthur Fleck also improvised his dance in the bathroom after killing the men on the subway. It was originally him talking to himself in the mirror, but the actor asked if he could try something else, resulting in the dance. In Sher’s interview with Slash Film, he explained how this was a turning point for the production. In his words:
Warner Bros gave the film and Joaquin Phoenix tons of leeway to do his thing and that he did. The actor has said there were some “really radical changes” made to the film from the script to set several weeks into shooting. In fact, once the actor shifted into playing into the Joker scenes, that’s when these improvisations started occurring on set. It’s pretty amazing how well Phoenix’s eye is for adding to a character and it’s safe to say no other actor could have brought the same quality to the role.