Ridley Scott has revealed that Russell Crowe was left unimpressed by Gladiator co-star Joaquin Phoenix. The filmmaker, who has returned to direct a sequel 24 years after the original was released, shared the revelation ahead of question marks surrounding Phoenix’s professional conduct.

"Gladiator" director Ridley Scott recently told The New York Times (via Entertainment Weekly) that Russell Crowe told Joaquin Phoenix he was being "terribly unprofessional" on set when Phoenix was getting cold feet and had to be convinced to stay on the movie.

Joaquin Phoenix made his breakout performance in 2000’s Gladiator, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Nearly 25 years later, director Ridley Scott revealed that Phoenix nearly dropped out of the role of Commodus at the last minute,

Scott addressed the topic in a new interview with The New York Times, in which he was actually discussing Barry Keoghan, who had to drop out of Gladiator II. “Barry is one of the good ones, the same level as Joaquin Phoenix and Paul. Barry is so complex ...

Gladiator' was a "baptism of fire for both of us in the beginning," Ridley Scott said of how he and Joaquin Phoenix approached making the 2000 film

The Joker star was locked in to play the lead role in Todd Haynes’ untitled gay romance flick but abruptly quit just five days before cameras were to start rolling, per Variety. His decision to exit the film, which reportedly featured explicit sex scenes, left production in “peril,” insiders told the outlet.

Director Ridley Scott recalled how actor Joaquin Phoenix had to be convinced to stay in the film 'Gladiator', reported.

Joaquin Phoenix nearly walked away from his iconic role as Commodus in Gladiator, director Ridley Scott recently revealed. During an interview with The New York Times, Scott recalled Phoenix

Director Ridley Scott reveals Joaquin Phoenix’s cold feet on Gladiator; Russell Crowe calls it ‘unprofessional

Joaquin Phoenix tried quitting "Gladiator" mid-shoot before being persuaded to stay by Ridley Scott, the director said in an interview published Thursday. Ahead of the film's sequel, "Gladiator II," Scott told the New York Times that Phoenix,

Joaquin Phoenix recently made headlines for dropping out of a planned gay romance film with director Todd Haynes at the last minute, but the actor's previous collaborators say that Phoenix has occasionally been finicky even on movies he did complete.