Robert De Niro vs. Joaquin Phoenix: The On-Set Tension That Supercharged Joker’s Interview Scene

Two very different actors, one set, and Todd Phillips stuck in the middle. That was day zero on Joker: Robert De Niro wanted the old-school, everyone-in-a-circle table read; Joaquin Phoenix wanted none of it. That early standoff basically defined the vibe of the shoot: prickly, professional, and ultimately worth it.

The table-read showdown

Before cameras rolled, De Niro asked for a full read-through with the cast. Phoenix flat-out refused. Phillips, who later told the story to Vanity Fair, had to referee between a legend who likes routine and a star who prefers chaos.

"Bob called me and goes, 'Tell him he is an actor and he has to be there, I like to hear the whole movie, and we are going to all get in a room and just read it.' And I am in between a rock and a hard place because Joaquin is like, 'There is no f way I am doing a read-through,' and Bob is like, 'I do read-throughs before we shoot, that is what we do.'"

It is a very behind-the-scenes kind of clash: one guy thrives on structure, the other protects whatever fragile headspace he needs to build a character like Arthur Fleck.

Phoenix idolized De Niro, which made things weirder

Here is the twist: De Niro has always been Phoenix's favorite American actor and his biggest influence. Phoenix actually kept his distance on set so he would not slip into fan mode. By his own account, they said good morning on day one and barely spoke after that.

The admiration runs deep. During Phoenix's first break from acting, his brother River pushed him to watch De Niro in Raging Bull. That viewing helped pull Joaquin back into the business. He studied De Niro's physical specificity and behavior, right down to gestures that might never end up on camera. Working with him on Joker only reinforced that: Phoenix noticed De Niro sticking to character in the in-between moments, not just when the lens was aimed squarely at him.

On set: tense, but disciplined

Phillips says Phoenix would sometimes walk away from scenes without warning, which threw other actors. Notably, he never did that during scenes with De Niro. Respect is a hell of a moderator.

Results speak for themselves

For a bleak character study with a $55 million budget, Joker turned into a runaway hit and a piece of box office history.

• Worldwide gross: over $1 billion (the first R-rated movie to ever hit that mark)
• Domestic (North America): $335.5 million
• International: $743.5 million
• Estimated net profit: about $437 million, roughly 19x its production budget

Phoenix's extreme prep

Phoenix lost 52 pounds for the role on a brutal diet of apples, lettuce, and steamed green beans. He has said the speed of the weight drop messed with his head in a way that actually helped him understand Arthur's unraveling: it made him feel like he was going mad.

And the accolades

That intensity paid off. Phoenix took home the Best Actor Oscar for Joker, capping a performance that was as method as it gets without completely derailing the production.

So where do you land?

Do you side more with De Niro's traditional 'show up and read' approach, or Phoenix's keep-the-bubble-intact process? Either way, the movie speaks for itself.

Joker is streaming on HBO Max in the US.