48-year-old famous actor, Joaquin Phoenix slapped Vanessa Kirby while shooting on the set of their upcoming movie “Napoleon” after the two made an agreement to “shock each other” during filming.
In an interview with Empire magazine, Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby revealed that they made a pact to surprise each other during the shooting of Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” to don’t end the film’s boring, over-planned biopic.
While having a conversation with Empire magazine, Josephine de Beauharnais revealed how they built trust while shooting the Ridley Scott-directed historical drama.
“She said, ‘Look, whatever you feel, you can do.’ I said, ‘Same thing with you.’ She added, ‘You can slap me, you can grab me, you can pull me, you can kiss me, whatever it is,’” Phoenix remembered.
He continued, “We had this agreement that we were going to surprise each other and try and create moments that weren’t there because both of us wanted to avoid the cliché of the period drama.
“And by that I mean moments that are well-orchestrated and designed.”
During the scene, the emperor and his wife — who shared a passionate, volatile relationship — are divorcing in a grand ceremony that was historically documented.
In the scenes, the emperor and his wife are getting divorced in a lavish ceremony that was historically documented.
“We were using the real words from their divorce in the church,” Kirby explained. “When that happens, you can faithfully go through an archival re-enactment of it and read out the lines and then go home. But we always wanted to surprise each other.”
While the two agreed to ad-lib, they deviated from the script in a few moments, one of which was an unscripted slapstick.
“Joker” actor told Empire “We encouraged each other, demanded of each other, to challenge ourselves to shock each other in moments,”. “And that’s what came out of that, that moment.”
Kirby added, “It’s the greatest thing when you have a creative partner and you say, ‘Right, everything’s safe. I’m with you. And we’re gonna go to the dark places together,'”
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Napoleon Update (2026)
Updated July 2026. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, built around Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby’s volatile on-screen chemistry as Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress Joséphine, opened in theaters in November 2023 and went on to cross $200 million globally, with international audiences contributing roughly $141 million of that total. Despite the strong worldwide haul, the film’s reported $200 million budget meant it needed several times that to break even, a reminder of how costly awards-season historical epics can be even when performers deliver committed, unscripted-feeling work. The film later streamed on Apple TV+, extending its life well past its theatrical run.
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