Beau Is Afraid has been splitting opinions ever since it premiered at the beginning of the month, but nothing can spoil Ari Aster’s experience making it, especially when it comes to star Joaquin Phoenix.

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Aster and Phoenix had never worked together prior to Beau Is Afraid, but the acclaimed horror filmmaker has called the collaboration “the best experience I’ve ever had,” during an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit. High praise coming from someone who has worked with the likes of Florence Pugh, Toni Collette, and Gabriel Byrne.

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by u/Ari_Aster from discussion Hi, I’m Ari Aster, writer/director of Beau Is Afraid. AMA!
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This is far from the first time Aster has praised his leading man, telling Empire that Phoenix breathed “new life” into his film, often adding emotional weight that far transcends what Aster wrote on the pages of his script. “He’s the best partner you could possibly have,” the director said. Previously, fellow Beau Is Afraid star Stephen McKinley Henderson described the pair’s dynamic as “simpatico” in an interview for The Hollywood Reporter, adding that the two worked together as if they were “old friends,” despite this being their first partnership.

The first, but definitely not the last. Rumors of Aster taking on a Western Neo-Noir next have been circulating, with Phoenix reportedly attached to star. Aster has described the script as having “one foot in the western and one foot even more heavily in the noir genre.”

The director and writer also called his third feature film his “proudest work,” following his 2018 sleeper hit Hereditary and his 2019 career-booster Midsommar. Critics aren’t latching onto this one as easily as they did the previous two, but those who like it, love it.

Beau Is Afraid is out in theaters April 21, 2023.