Lights, camera, heartbreak! Danny Ramirez and Joaquin Phoenix graced the red carpet at the Academy Museum Gala this past weekend (October 20), giving everyone a masterclass in how to look fabulous when your movie just got the axe. Yes, the only thing hotter than their looks was the sizzling scandal surrounding their canceled flick.
This wasn’t just any film. Oh no, it was the movie—a spicy NC-17 gay romance set in the 1930s, where two men in love make a daring escape to Mexico. Think “Brokeback Mountain,” but with even more forbidden love and maybe fewer cowboys. Alas, the movie is now deader than a Netflix password-sharing policy.
As Danny strutted down the carpet, reporters couldn’t help but ask: “How are you holding up after Joaquin yeeted out of the project and took the entire movie down with him?”
With the grace of a man who’s had three strong coffees and a motivational podcast, Danny told Variety, “Yeah, it’s disappointing… but hey, if Joaquin bouncing out on me doesn’t scream ‘inspiration,’ what does?”
He added with a philosophical twinkle, “This just makes me wanna push harder, knowing I’m on the right path. You know? Sometimes when your dream movie dissolves before your eyes, it’s really the universe saying, ‘Keep going, champ!’”
But the tea didn’t stop there. Danny gave us a peek into the grueling audition process: “Honestly, I got to do a chemistry read with Joaquin freaking Phoenix—you know how validating that was? There was this one moment, right there in the audition, where I thought, ‘This is it. I’ve arrived as a performer. I am unstoppable!’”
And then, boom. Unstoppable or not, the brakes hit hard. The movie got canceled faster than plans with flaky friends, leaving Danny to pick up the pieces—on the red carpet, no less.
So, while we won’t be seeing Danny and Joaquin’s steamy, vintage romance hit the silver screen anytime soon, at least we got some primo red carpet moments. And if this gala appearance is any indication, Danny’s still ready to slay, even if his big romance project was ghosted harder than an ex on Tinder.
Who needs a 1930s Mexican love story anyway, right? Apparently, Joaquin.
Danny Ramirez, who was cast opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Haynes' gay romance film before Phoenix dropped out, says that his chemistry read featured "very intense, dramatic scenes" and that it's "a very complicated situation." https://t.co/0BVZhE2aj3 pic.twitter.com/ZTJwwFT0UZ
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2024