James McAvoy Says He Signed on for ‘Split’ at the ‘Last Minute’ After Joaquin Phoenix Pulled Out: ‘I Think He Ditched It Two Weeks Before Shooting’

James McAvoy appeared on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast to promote his villainous turn in the new horror movie “Speak No Evil,” but his revelation about M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” has garnered attention on social media. McAvoy said he only had about two weeks to prepare for his various roles in the thriller because he was cast at the last minute after Joaquin Phoenix reportedly dropped out a couple weeks before the production start.

When asked if it was weird to take over the role from Phoenix, McAvoy answered: “No, definitely not. I’m confident enough to think that I will do it better anyway. I’m joking. I just like saying the wrong thing.”

“Are you kidding? He’s an amazing actor,” McAvoy said. “He’d give a very different performance than the one I did but an incredible one. Sometimes coming in last minute is the best way. I think he ditched it two weeks before they started shooting. It was really last minute. I had a couple of weeks [to prep]. Two weeks. The script was well put together so a lot of it was clear what I wanted to do straight away. A couple characters took a little longer to find. Patricia came quick. Hedwig took awhile.”

McAvoy starred in “Split” as a criminal with dissociative identity disorder, which resulted in the actor portraying 23 different personalities. He reprised the character in 2019’s “Glass.” McAvoy said that it wasn’t until the table read that he was able to find all the different characters given what short notice he had to take on the role.

Variety has reached out to Phoenix’s representative for further comment.

Phoenix recently made headlines for pulling out of a new Todd Haynes movie five days before cameras were set to start rolling. Phoenix’s decision forced Haynes and his team to shelve the project indefinitely. A source close to the production told Variety that Phoenix got “cold feet.” Entire sets had been built in Guadalajara, Mexico, before Phoenix made the last-minute decision to exit the film.

While attending the Venice Film Festival earlier this month to world premiere “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Phoenix was asked about his decision to pull out of the Haynes movie and responded: “If I do [comment], I’d just be sharing my opinion from my perspective and the other creatives aren’t here to say their piece, and so I don’t think that would be helpful.”

“Speak No Evil” is now playing in theaters nationwide. Watch McAvoy’s full interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in the video below.