Joaquin Phoenix describes Joker’s deleted scene

Actor Joaquin Phoenix has spoken about a deleted scene from Joker, which he initially felt was 'one of the best scenes' of the film. Director Todd Phillips, meanwhile, has said that he thinks deleted scenes are called that for a reason. "I hate f*****g extended cuts. I hate deleted scenes… They're deleted for a reason." He added that he would not be showing any deleted scenes from the film. "The movie that exists is exactly the movie I want it to be and I will never show a deleted scene," he said.

In an interview to Collider, Phoenix said, "There was a scene that, that during the shoot we thought was one of the best scenes and we loved his behavior in the scene, and I'd always really liked the scene. And Todd told me and said, 'We're cutting that scene out.' And at first I thought, like, 'Wait a minute, what do you mean you cut that scene out?' And then of course I saw it, and it was very obvious. It has to go."

Describing the scene in question, Phoenix said that it was a second meeting between Arthur Fleck and his co-worker Randall, after Arthur is let go from his clown agency job. In the final cut, Arthur exits the building after messing with a sign, and 'punching out', literally. Phillips said that cutting out the scene was 'a heartbreaker' and that it "might've been the last scene I cut out."

Phoenix added, "That's just what's so cool about movies, right? You can have a great scene, it's something that makes sense, but the movie is the collection of all of these scenes and they have to work together to tell the story, and it actually made that whole sequence so smooth."

Joker has defied polarizing reviews to become a box office smash. The film has made over $550 million worldwide.