New Joaquin Phoenix film is so 'intense' actor ‘fainted’ midway through scene

Joaquin Phoenix collapsed on set during an especially demanding sequence in Ari Aster's upcoming movie Beau is Afraid.

The horror filmmaker is known for crafting intense narratives and graphic scenes, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that even a seasoned actor like the Oscar winner would have such a visceral reaction.

The director, who has produced some of the most talked-about entries in the 'elevated horror' canon, shocked his audience on April Fools' Day.

Those who headed to a Brooklyn, New York movie theatre expecting to watch the extended cut of Aster's 2019's Midsommar were in a for a twisted treat. Once seated, audience members were told they were going to be among the first people to watch Aster's latest film, Beau is Afraid, starring Phoenix in the titular role.

Set for a wider release in the US later this month, the movie sees the Joker actor as the paranoid protagonist. Involved in a mysterious car accident, Beau needs to fight to get back to his mother, played by Broadway legend Patti LuPone.

The three-hour screening was followed by a Q&A session with Aster moderated by actress Emma Stone.

During the conversation, the Hereditary filmmaker explained that Phoenix 'fainted' during a scene played by LuPone.

While the focus wasn't on Phoenix, he was in the frame with his co-star 'helping' her.

"There was a scene that was very intense for Patti and it was a shot that was on Patti – it was not on him – and all of a sudden, he fell out of frame," Aster said, adding that he "was really pissed 'cause it was a really good take".

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"It felt confusing so I went around the corner, and he was collapsed. I knew it was bad because he was letting people touch him and people were tending to him and he was allowing it," he continued, as reported by Deadline.

"He wasn't on camera and he was helping them – he was in it for them to the point where he collapsed. It's very poetic that he collapsed in somebody else's shot," the director finally said.

This behind-the-scenes story follows Midsommar's protagonist Florence Pugh's admission that she 'abused [herself]' to deliver her harrowing turn as lead Dani.

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"I would put myself in really shitty situations that maybe other actors don’t need to do, but I would just be imagining the worst things," she said on Off Menu Podcast.

"Each day the content would be getting more weird and harder to do. I was putting things in my head that were getting worse and more bleak. I think by the end I probably, most definitely abused myself in order to get that performance."

If you're excited to check Aster's new anxiety-inducing scenes for yourself, Beau is Afraid is released in the US on April 21 while moviegoers in the UK can watch it from May 19.