Phoenix, gladius-handling as Emperor Commodus in Gladiator. Above: With Ridley Scott and Connie Nielsen on set.
I’M VERY INTUITIVE about casting. I don’t believe in reads across desks, so sometimes you don’t have much to go on if someone is new. But I remember Joaquin’s film with Nicole Kidman [To Die For], and I thought that was very interesting. So he kept popping up in my mind and I thought, “How can I write for him?” Then suddenly, outrageously, I thought, “Why don’t I make him Commodus [in Gladiator]?”