10 More Movie Storylines Actors REFUSED To Do
5. Joaquin Phoenix Wouldn't Rub Mud In An Actress' Face - Mary Magdalene
Joaquin Phoenix may not classify himself as a Method actor, but there's no doubt he goes to extreme lengths to prepare for his roles. So, when he portrayed Jesus Christ in 2018's Mary Magdalene, it wasn't surprising to hear the Joker star emaciated himself by only eating 300 calories daily and researched the Bible thoroughly.
With that said, there was one scene Phoenix refused to perform, even though it's taken directly from the Bible. In John 9:6, Jesus cures a blind person by rubbing mud over their eyes. While speaking to CNN about the film, Phoenix admitted he never considered performing the sequence the way it's described in the scriptures. In his own words,
I’m not going to rub dirt in her eyes. Who the f*!# would do that? It doesn’t make any sense. That is a horrible introduction to seeing.
Instead, Jesus licks his thumb in the scene, and places it over the blind person's eyes.
Even though taking liberties with the Bible can be tricky, this was a smart decision on Phoenix's part (especially since smearing clay onto someone's eyeballs would probably damage their sight, not heal it).