Battle of the Jokers: Mel Gibson Opted Out of Iconic Joaquin Phoenix Movie for Underrated $215M Heath Ledger Classic

Mel Gibson is a versatile artist par excellence. While he has cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s most accomplished actors, his directorial talent and penchant for helming diverse projects from commercial blockbusters like Braveheart to the critically acclaimed The Passion of the Christ, has made him a bonafide icon in the industry.

While Gibson has done the vast gamut of roles across genres in his impressive filmography, the actor has also turned down marquee roles in films that have gone on to become award-winning blockbusters. One of these projects was Ridley Scott’s Gladiator for which Gibson was considered not just for the leading role, but also for the significant character played by Joaquin Phoenix. Interestingly, the Oscar winner rejected this future Joker actor’s part, to star in a film with another Joker star.

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Mel Gibson Turned Down A Meaty Role In Gladiator

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator not only swept the awards that year, but also became one of the biggest box office hits of 2000. It gave Russel Crowe a well-deserved Oscar win for his commanding performance as Marcus Aurelius. Apart from Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus was a pivotal character who was influential in the narrative.

While Phoenix became synonymous with the role, the part was first offered by Scott to Mel Gibson after originally considering him for the protagonist of the film. The veteran actor-director though, did not take up this offer owing to doubts about his age at the time. Gibson who was 43 years old then, believed that he was too old to play the character of Commodus.

Subsequently, the Payback star went on to headline The Patriot which incidentally had another future Joker actor Heath Ledger as his co-star. This film saw Gibson play a character much closer to his age as well. While The Patriot went on to do decent numbers at the box office, it gained momentum later on to be termed a cult classic.

Also Read: Mad Max: Fury Road – Tom Hardy Was Nearly Replaced by 8 Actors Including One Unlikeliest, Wildest Musician After Mel Gibson’s Departure

Mel Gibson Rejected This Marvel Role

There is a point in time where every actor dreams of portraying a superhero on screen. With the advent of the Marvel and DC franchises and their cinematic universes, many A-list stars have used the opportunity to embody various superheroes and supervillains on screen.

Oscar winner Mel Gibson too, was in the reckoning to take on a grand and aristocratic character from Marvel Comics. The award-winning filmmaker was approached by Marvel to play King Odin, the mighty King of Asgard and Thor’s father. When asked about the offer, Gibson had a surprising answer to The Guardian.

“Yeah, long time ago, to play Thor’s dad. But I didn’t do it.”

While most would agree that The Passion Of the Christ director would have been a perfect choice to play the character of Odin, the celebrity felt that his commitment and interest at that point of time was more towards making and directing independent films. The role ultimately went to another Oscar veteran, Anthony Hopkins.