Joaquin Phoenix appeared to behave himself on the late-night circuit, relatively anyway, over the next eight years. But he sure made up for lost time in 2009 when he out-weirded pretty much every other celebrity with a bizarre rap reinvention on The Late Show with David Letterman.
The actor looked to have lost the plot when he rocked up to the interview looking disheveled while sporting sunglasses and a beard, and appeared completely unaware of where he was. This time around, the host was in no mood to bite his tongue and after countless one-word answers and incomprehensible mutterings, David Letterman wryly asked Phoenix, «What can you tell us about your days with the Unabomber?» Oof. When pressed about speculation about retiring from acting, Phoenix replied that he wanted to focus on his «hip-hop music.» …Sure.
Of course, Phoenix’s transformation was all just an oh-so hilarious ruse in keeping with his mockumentary, I’m Still Here. The actor came clean 18 months later, alongside director Casey Affleck, who told The New York Times that Phoenix’s odd late-night appearance was «a terrific performance, it’s the performance of his career.» When Phoenix returned to Letterman’s show in time for the film’s release, he didn’t exactly offer the most gracious of explanations. «You’ve interviewed many, many people, and I assumed that you would kind of know the difference between a character and a real person,» he said, but added, «I apologize. I hope I didn’t offend you in any way.»
