Christine Vachon on Pedro Pascal Replacing Joaquin Phoenix: "The Happy Ending We Deserved"
Todd Haynes' De Noche nearly died. Joaquin Phoenix walked days before production, the project collapsed, and Haynes lost a year. Producer Christine Vachon has now discussed the aftermath, and she is remarkably cheerful about it.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Vachon said the outcome was the happy ending they deserved — or that Haynes deserved — which is Pedro Pascal ultimately playing the role. When the moderator joked that she preferred Pascal anyway, Vachon said she kind of did too.
What changed
Not much structurally. Vachon said there were no drastic script changes after the lead swap. The one significant shift was the setting: originally Guadalajara, now Mexico City, which she described as better creatively. Pascal brought his own reading of the character.
She also praised Danny Ramirez, who co-stars, calling both performances a revelation.
The film
A gay romance set in 1930s Mexico, currently in post-production, with no release date announced. Vachon and Haynes have been collaborating since Poison in 1991, through Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven, I'm Not There and Carol.
Pascal came to the project via Vachon's work with him on Materialists. Which means the entire rescue of a Todd Haynes film ran through a Celine Song rom-com. Hollywood is small and slightly absurd.