How it started:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z-kzE1eHls&fmt=18


Joaquin on Letterman last night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXpYk7WGN5Y&fmt=18

(the complete interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAQ4x7rgS6I&fmt=18 )


Some people are saying this is all an act for a mockumentary he's doing, others maintain he's always had a substance abuse problem and this is just him losing his mind.

I've always thought he's a bit eccentric, but this seems like it's a little too over the top to be real.

I thought it was awesome. My vote is Andy Kaufman. He obviously doesn't care about his career. (not that something like this would hurt such an amazing actor) So now is the perfect time to have some fun with people.

100 percent Kaufman, and I fcking love it. Absolutely love it. Hollywood takes itself so seriously, and so many people are taking him at face value, it's killing me. I've never been a big Joaquin Phoenix fan before this, but his appearance on Letterman has just sealed the deal for me. He's a genius

AK

I've always liked him and for some reason I love it whether it's real or not.

What he intends to do instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LieYeCudbQ8&NR=1

Complete level.

its fun to mess with the hollywood establishment and such but Joaquin Phoenix isnt humorous on any level. Its just boring. Swing away, Merrill.

Kaufman, no doubt.

Although stuff like this makes me wonder sometimes whether he's all there or not:



How the fuck do you misspell your own first name?

ummmm, he's joking? i mean, it says so, right there in the picture.

I think he's got issues but is probably playing it up cause he's enjoying it. Call it fake, call it real, whatever... I think he's just tired of the whole hollywood scene but at the same time is enjoying everyones reactions.

I would think this is genius except for the fact that he grew up in a sex cult, and the people that have come out of that are insane to at least some degree. They also tend to manifest that pain in creative ways such as music. So I would believe anything when it comes to Joaquin Phoenix.

Some people are just born lucky.

Wrong.



lol

Updated the OP with the full 10 minute interview that was taken down. No idea how long it'll stay up this time.

Well not exactly. I only know what happened to the girls in that cult, but I can't imagine it was much different for the little boys.

Okay, him being a genius, him being insane, and this being a joke aren't all mutally exclusive. Andy Kaufman was bat shit crazy, but also a genius.

I agree, just saying that if he's serious it wouldn't surprise me at all b/c he is crazy. Definitely could be genius, b/c if he is joking it is genius, in addition to being crazy. I don't know if I said what I wanted. Oh well.

He's nuts...simple as that.

I'm sure its a level but I wouldn't bet my house on it.

I don't get to see Letterman an often lot but it seems like a tightly run ship. I doubt if he was serious he would have ever been let on.

They preinterview just about everyone
although train wrecks are always good for ratings

plus he seems like he can turn it on and off - he still makes his movies successfully

I'm betting that after 30 years he's sick of acting and was committed to do one last promo job for this movie - and did it half heartedly

He may be serious about the hip hop thing and all this just amps up the curiousity

Nevertheless dude has been through a lot in his life - remember it was him who had to make the 911 call when River was dying

I haven't seen the Letterman clip, but he retired from acting back in October and said he wanted to concentrate on his music.

Old link about retirement

That was Leaf Phoenix.

(duck and cover)

whats missing in all of this is Lettermans ability to keep the interview going and the apologies to Farrah Fawcett line at the end was hilarious . At the end of the interview he takes off his glasses and must have said something to Dave to smooth it over.

Letterman is still pretty sharp after all these years and made the interview what it was, I think Jimmy Kimmel would have done a great job as well.

Letterman had to know what he's up to. He had Andy kaufman on his show like 20 times.

Good gag, but only true geeks like us know that Leaf and Jaoquin are one and the same

You never know what's really on Dave's mind - the madonna incident was great for his show but he was apparently not pleased

If you're old enough you might remember that Dave used to be this cutting and acerbic back in the day even with guests that weren't being goofy or jerkish

which of course led to Cher saying she had never come on before because she thought he was an a-ss

My favorite line of his ever was when Billy Idol was on and looking stoned "explained that a lot of his song titles like white wedding and rebel yell were not slang for different types of drugs" and Dave said "You must be a very proud young man!"

This was beyond a half hearted effort. Obviously it was one of two things.

1. An extreme level, Kaufman-style.
2. A sick, stoned, sad bastard.

I'm guessing 1 with hint of 2.

I'm guessing 2 with hint of 1.

Just like when I poop.

EVERYBODY SHUT UP!!!!

why is it that genius and "bat shit crazy" always go hand in hand?

def. kaufman. HIGH-larious.

because - normal and happy are as exciting and interesting as hotel art

You guys are using the term genius too liberally.

EDIT: I just actually watched the interview with Letterman, and it seemed fairly clear that Phoenix was totally putting it on. I imagine the pre-show meeting went something like - "Yeah so I'll just act like I'm on heroin and am all weird and everything." "Great, I'll open with a joke about your beard."


I did also see him fall off the stage "rapping" at some event though.

look at the video where he shows cards instead of talking and mispells his own name

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YixuG4F9rZg

i'm not positive letterman was in on it but he might have been

but wow it takes serious committment to grow that beard - have any of you tried that - even Kaufmann used make up

Phoenix in huge brawl in Miami club last night...


However many fans feel the whole thing is a hoax, as all the incidents have been filmed by his brother-in-law CASEY AFFLECK.

Casey was once again in the audience in Miami, capturing the the performance on his video camera.

Genius

Did you watch the video? hahahah

yeah, it was great. I love this whole thing his doing.

His whole "I have a million dollars in the bank" was so classic. It's totally not something he would ever actually say. (Plus he's worth WAY more than a million... so that makes it even funnier)


The comments on the story are priceless.

yeah, I mean it's so fcking obvious to me that this is a put on, but when I see comments like that, it just kills me that people are buying it. But I mean, people thought Kaufman and Jerry Laulor hated each other too, and that was in PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING, for christs sake. People are stupid, and Joaquin is a genius.

"Heckler Gets A Good Joaquin" is a ridiculous headline, even for a trashy celeb magazine. I imagine that 'Joaquin' is meant to sound like 'Whacking,' but I feel like I'm meeting them halfway on that.


Favorite part of the article: "Joaquin – who sources say arrived four hours late for the gig at the LIV night club in the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel..." While I still think it's a big joke, I do also think that he's quite a little bit crazy for real.

Oh, absolutely. You'd have to be a little cracked to so something like this. You think someone like Andy Kauffman would get a clean bill of mental health from a Psychiatrist? Crazy people are the funniest.

Agree 100%. You have to respect a certain level of insanity.

http://joaqdoc.com/

Casey Affleck filming a dude asking for self shot video footage of Joaquin .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qTc1aWN8zA

Movie is currently in post production, due out in 2010.

My curiosity is peaked

Piqued.

Unless you're trying to say that your curiosity is as high as it will go.

hehehe...

Beat yer egg whites to a fine pique...

shit

wrong thread.

Joaquin Phoenix, clean-shaven, being mildly sane for an apparently good cause with other actual celebrities

He's still crazy, but it seems like he's given up on the whole 'completely insane' thing.

Also notable: Liv Tyler - still gorgeous.