A producer from Todd Hayne's gay drama film opens up about Joaquin Phoenix's sudden exit

This summer, Joaquin Phoenix sent waves through Hollywood when he dropped out (at the very last second!) of an erotic queer drama film he had pitched to director Todd Haynes.

Phoenix, who brought the idea for the film to Haynes, was set to star opposite Danny Ramirez in an NC-17 film where the two play lovers in Mexico. But just five days before production was set to begin, he quit the film, citing "cold feet."

His exit cost the entire crew their jobs and left producers and investors without anything to see for their money.

Christine Vachon of Killer Films, who was one of the producers of the film, has now spoken out about Phoenix's exit.

"The truth is, pretty much what happened is out there for all of you to see. If I had anything to gossip about it, I would, but I don't," Vachon said during her keynote speech at the San Sebastian Film Festival's Creative Investors' Conference. "It was tragic. The most tragic part about it, in my mind, is Todd Haynes is 62. There's a finite number of films that they'll be able to do in his lifetime. I consider him one of the most extraordinary film artists of his generation."

Vachon emphasized that to her, the biggest crime was committed against Haynes.

"The idea that his time was wasted and that a movie is not a result of those years of working closely with Joaquin, that is the tragedy to me and that I can't get over," she continued. "We, as a cultural community, lost an opportunity to have another movie by Todd Haynes. That is just criminal."

Phoenix has refused to comment on his leaving that movie while doing press for Joker: Folie à Deux.

"Um… I think if I do I would just be sharing my opinion from my perspective," Phoenix said when asked about his exit from the film. "And the other creatives aren't here to say their piece and that just doesn't feel like that would be right, not sure how that would be helpful, so, I just don't think I will. Yeah. Thank you."