Beyond 'Gladiator 2': Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby fall in love at the premiere of 'Napoleon'

Gladiator 2 It is one of the most anticipated films of next year. The continuation of the historical drama set in Ancient Rome arrives more than two decades after the release of the first feature film. Like its predecessor, it will be directed by Ridley Scott. In addition, the cast has Paul Mescal as the protagonist alongside Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal and Connie Nielsen, among others.

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It is a tall project, but even the greatest ambition can be put on hold for a moment when duty calls. This is what has happened to the British filmmaker, who has had to withdraw from production tasks of the feature film to go to the London premiere of Napoleon, its grand premiere in 2023.

Ridley Scott was seen in the English capital with the two stars of his film: Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. They both play Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine de Beauharnais, respectively. The three most visible heads of this production about the life of the French emperor stepped onto the red carpet of Leicester Square before the attentive gaze of the media and attendees.

Kirby spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about her role in the film and the differences between the performance and Josefina’s true historical personality: “As with any fictional interpretation, there is always creative license What differentiates what you see on the screen from what the person was like. It’s like in The Crown (where she played Princess Margaret in the first two seasons). I learned that she really is an imagined version of events… “I read any book I could about her to capture the elusive, interesting, strange energy she had.”

Although Napoleon highlights the emperor’s war exploits and his rise to power in France, it also leaves significant space for his romance with Josephine. “I think that, for me, the most magical thing was explore the dynamics of this unusual relationship. Although I was writing to Joaquin (Phoenix) in all the battles asking ‘how are you doing?’, and he was freezing in the UK winter,” Kirby explained of his experience during the months of filming.

Praise for the figure of Ridley Scott

During the red carpet, both cast and crew members behind Napoleon they took advantage of praise Ridley Scott, who at 85 years old is still dedicated to his cinematographic work. “We should all wish, hope and aspire to have an ounce of your urine and vinegar. I have always admired him, I admired his films. I feel privileged to work with him. The guy looks and acts full of fire, and That’s inspiring,” assured Tom Rothman president and CEO of Sony Pictures.

Mark Bonnar, who plays Jean-Andoche Junot, Napoleon’s general, also declared himself an admirer of the filmmaker: “He is charming, he has his feet on the ground, he is practical, He knows what he wants and how to get it. He is a general.” In addition, he assured that the result of the meeting between Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix 23 years after Gladiator it was a “epic, complex and exciting” biopic about the figure of Napoleon Bonaparte.

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