You have to give it to Joaquin for going all in — but even he admits that his full-commitment chaos on Letterman might’ve gone too far.
More than 15 years after his bizarre and uncomfortable appearance on The Late Show, Joaquin Phoenix has publicly apologised to David Letterman — and it sounds like the guilt’s been hanging around a while.
Chatting with Stephen Colbert this week, Phoenix opened up about the now-infamous 2009 interview, which saw him mumble, twitch, and barely make eye contact while promoting Two Lovers. What no one knew at the time — including Letterman — was that Phoenix was deep in character for I’m Still Here, a mockumentary that followed his fake pivot from acting to hip-hop.
“It was strange, because in some ways it was a success, and it was also just one of the worst nights of my life,” Phoenix told Colbert. “I regret it. I’ll never do it again. I’m so sorry.”
Phoenix admitted he’d called the Late Show team ahead of time, asking them to let Letterman go hard on him: “I just want Dave to like, lacerate me,” he said. “I just wanted it to feel dangerous.”
Looking back now, he concedes the whole thing was “horrible” and “beneficial for no one.” The stunt confused viewers, made Letterman visibly uncomfortable, and left Phoenix stuck in a bit he was starting to question even before the show.
He returned to Letterman in 2010 to explain it was all for the film, but he’s still clearly carrying it. “He might be [watching], and I just need to say I’m sorry,” Phoenix said.
If you need a refresher on the infamous moment, check it out above – and yes, it’s still as weird as you remember.
