Joaquin Phoenix has revealed that Christopher Nolan initially approached him to play the Joker for 2008's "The Dark Knight," a role which ultimately went to Heath Ledger.
The actor spoke about the situation during an interview on "Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin," saying that he didn't feel ready at the time that Nolan was developing the film.
"I remember I talked to Chris Nolan about 'The Dark Knight' and that didn't happen for whatever reason," Phoenix said, according to Variety. "I wasn't ready then. That's one of those things where it's like, What is in me that's not doing this? And it's not about me. There's something else. There's another person who is going to do something. … I can't imagine what it would be if we didn't have Heath Ledger's performance in that film, right?"
Phoenix admitted the details of their conversation were vague, but he felt he was not right for the role.
"I don't know whether Christopher Nolan was coming to me saying, You're definitely the person. I can't remember the context of how we met, but I know we met," Phoenix said. "My feeling was I shouldn't do this, but maybe he also was like, He's not the guy."
Ledger's iconic performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor after his 2008 death at age 28 from an accidental overdose as a result of prescription drug abuse.
Phoenix later took on the role in 2019's "Joker," directed by Todd Phillips, winning the Oscar for Best Actor and achieving over $1 billion in global box office revenue.
The success led to the release of a sequel, "Joker: Folie à Deux," featuring Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. However, the sequel has struggled with critics and audiences, grossing only $57 million domestically since its Oct. 4 release, and reaching a total of $201 million worldwide.
Phoenix meanwhile, has been the center of controversy after he abruptly dropped out of Todd Haynes' untitled gay romance five days before filming was set to begin in Mexico.
No official reason for his last-minute exit was provided, but Variety quoted a source as saying he got "cold feet."
Phoenix has declined to comment on his departure, saying it would not be fair to remark on the ordeal without all parties involved present.
"I think if I do [speak about the reasoning], I'd just be sharing my opinion from my perspective, and the other creatives aren't here to say their piece, and it just doesn't feel like that would be right," he said last month.
"I'm not sure how that would be helpful. So I don't think I will," he added.