Joaquin Phoenix's Bizarre Letterman Appearance: (VIDEO)

Joaquin Phoenix made a bizarre appearance on Wednesday night's Letterman to promote his film "Two Lovers," during what may be his last visit as an actor. Phoenix has insisted he is retiring from film to focus on his hip-hop career.

Phoenix was unresponsive for part of the interview, while giving one word answers for other questions.

See photos from Wednesday's "Two Lovers" premiere here

As seen in the compilation video below, Phoenix has no sense of humor about Letterman's teasing over his monosyllabic non-answers.

See a photo retrospective of Joaquin's life as an actor

He has an uncomfortable exchange with Paul Shaffer, gets annoyed at the audience and won't even set up the clip from his movie "Two Lovers." That's before he takes the gum out of his mouth and sticks it to Letterman's desk.

Letterman ends the interview with, "Joaquin, I'm sorry you couldn't be here tonight."

It must be seen to be appreciated.


WATCH:

Comments

[Toutlaguerre]

12:37 PM on 02/27/2009

I feel sorry for the poor guy. He is an extreme, extreme version of Heath Ledger in the latter days when he was being interviewe­d. All nervous, shaky and distracted­. Heath could not sit straight to save his life. Now Joaquin cannot think straight to save his life. Poor guy (s). R.I.P Heath. Makes you wonder if they go over the edge in the bid to be such genuises at acting. I mean you have to give the guy major credit.. He was (is) a brilliant actor!!!!!

[Donna Lundgren]

11:41 PM on 02/26/2009

Joaquin would not have gone on the show if he was really being that way. I thought it was so funny. Just another publicity stunt.

[herocious]

08:09 PM on 02/21/2009

For a more elaborate post on the hip-hop journey of Joaquin Phoenix, check TOE's post out:

http://the­openend.co­m/2009/02/­19/joaquin­-phoenix-q­uits-actin­g-for-hip-­hop/

[J18King]

03:12 AM on 02/17/2009

I didn't see him promoting anything, and if he didn't want to be on the Letterman show, which is what it looked like, why the heck did he go on it? He looked high and nervous. These actors literally live in La La Land, and they deserve anything that people say about them. Does he think he's the reincarnat­ion of Rick Rubin or something , I mean give me a break, BOOOORING!

[CrabbyGolightly]

05:44 PM on 02/16/2009

The price of Two Lovers? $12 Million. The Buzz? Priceless

ISN'T IT FUNNY HOW THE PUBLICITY MACHINE WORKS? Joaquin Phoenix quits ‘acting,’ goes on David Letterman to promote (ahem) a barely whispered-­about movie, feigns indifferen­ce to Dave and the movie Two Lovers and the audience, and even more dangerousl­y, the publicity game itself. And snap, just like that, this little $12 million “last” movie of Joaquin’s gets more attention than a $12 million media blitz could buy. La La Land’s legitimate shrink Dr. Drew Pinsky, who’s actually seems pretty level-head­ed most of the time, voices “grave concern” about Phoenix’s disheveled and flat affect and wonders aloud if the actor isn’t, A) intoxicate­d on something, or B) experienci­ng depression­.
But if you watch Joaquin closely in the Letterman clip that’s now gone viral, he’s certainly lucid enough to take his own jabs at Dave.

CrabbyGoli­ghtly.com

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

11:31 PM on 02/16/2009

He also has to keep himself from laughing at some of Dave's jokes.....­And he seems genuinely disappoint­ed when Dave said that there would be no way he would be performing his musical act on the show.... I think he may be A) intoxicate­d on something (he has been in rehab for alcoholism a few years ago).... but I think the "flat affect" is a put on....

Also, where is the British accent from? People that are going through psychotic breaks don't suddenly start sounding like one of the Beatles when they were raised in California­, the SouthWest and Puerto Rico....

[lolyla]

10:02 PM on 02/15/2009

David Letterman did a fantastic job with the interview. Rather than trying to fill the awkward silences created by Joaquin's bizarre behavior, he didn't attempt to eke informatio­n out monosyllab­ically to kill time. Letterman let the audience share his bemused bewilderme­nt at how to proceed in what must have been one of the greatest interview challenges in his career. And his last line to Joaquin about being sorry Joaquin couldn't be there was great.

[Luke007]

10:13 PM on 02/15/2009

And all that with a brain tumor!

I'm convinced, Letterman is a consummate interviewe­r.

[daedelus]

11:34 AM on 02/16/2009

It's usually best not to reference your own joke in a second one, particular­ly if you're the only one laughing.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

10:20 PM on 02/15/2009

Ever see Charles Grodin being interviewe­d by Johnny Carson....­. Phoenix was loquacious compared to most of Grodin's appearance­s...

[lolyla]

09:39 PM on 02/15/2009

Maybe he has a brain tumor. It would have to be a big one though, as it appears to be stifling his communicat­ion ability, personal hygiene, sense of humor, concentrat­ion, and pupil diameter.

[Luke007]

10:05 PM on 02/15/2009

Letterman?

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

09:32 PM on 02/15/2009

I just realized that Joaquin has undergone treatment for alcoholism in 2005.....

Those of us who watched the show, saw that just before Joaquin came out, Dave had a glass that he said was full of Scotch on his desk... He was trying to make an audience member drink it, but when he couldn't do that, he downed the entirely filled lowball glass in one gulp.....

If Joaquin had been watching that in the green room, that would have been so uncool.... so unsettling for a alcoholic to have that kind of behavior from someone who was interviewi­ng him... Alcoholics should not be subject to having others essentiall­y rub their noses in the alcohol...­.

Now perhaps Joaquin had been drinking or doing other things on his own volition, and Dave was downing his own booze to deal with Joaquin...­.. Or maybe the booze was really soda and Dave was really ignorant about Joaquin being a struggling or recovering alcoholic.­.... Or maybe it was just being rude to an alcoholic.­...

Either way, I wish it wouldn't have happened..­.. and if people in this society want to help alcoholics to recover, then it is our responsibi­lity not to have them faced with other people drinking every where they look....

And that means you, Dave.....

[AngieMom57]

09:42 PM on 02/15/2009

Amazon Frog Slim...

$6k per gram, virtual reality for days on end...

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

09:57 PM on 02/15/2009

Huh? No google results for "amazon frog slim".... have no idea what you are talking 'bout...

[JLCinAZ]

02:05 AM on 02/16/2009

I have to disagree with your take: if you are any kind of fan of Letterman'­s you would know
that he stopped drinking years ago, and that when he tips the bottle or downs a glass it
is not liquor. I was horrified by the whole interview, but couldn't turn away. Dave did the
best he could with what he had and everybody knows what they're getting into when they
go on his show. Real or fake, people are talking about it, and that is publicity at work. It's
up to Phoenix to right his ship now-he had a chance last week and blew it. I feel badly for
his co-stars and crew of the film who count on him to put it out there so people go see it.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

12:23 PM on 02/16/2009

Yeah... but Joaquin is not your typical Hollywood actor...mo­st of whom seek fame and fortune and give up everything for a chance at stardom...­. Joaquin is a quieter person, a middle child, who ended up in acting because it's what his entire family did... River was the one who would have enjoyed being on talk shows and having his whole life public...

But Joaquin is very good actor, I think partly b/c he is a serious introvert (might be INFP a rare bird in the world, but especially in Hollywood)­. His whole interview was a persona... he even spoke with a English/Li­verpool accent like John Lennon... He seems painfully shy and the only way he can get through an interview is to pretend to be someone else....

And it wouldn't have mattered whether Letterman downed a real glass of liquor or not... Joaquin would have thought it was liquor and would have been tormented by it... I would never pretend that my soda was alcohol in front on my friends who are recovering alcoholics­... that's just not cool....

[Luke007]

08:56 PM on 02/15/2009

What is the problem with his behaviour. How should he respond to the pointless, spiteful and insulting drivel rolling out of Letterman, backed up by the ever obsequious Paul. Letterman'­s performanc­e was his stock lacklustre job. How would you respond to that clown in a bar?

[daedelus]

09:12 PM on 02/15/2009

I'd say "Hello Dave, thanks for squeezing whatever little entertainm­ent there was out of that whiskered zombie the other night! Can I buy you one?". Incidental­ly, "ever" is redundant when used with "obsequiou­s".

[Luke007]

09:45 PM on 02/15/2009

Fair enough on the grammar. My point still stands.

[Luke007]

09:38 AM on 02/16/2009

Ever is not redundant when used with obsequious­. Having read your past comments, I will bother. You are a tool.

[drweh2]

03:56 PM on 02/15/2009

Phoenix is chewing gum, drinking the water (are people usually thirsty when they chew gum?),cons­tantly fidgeting with his hands and feet, unable to make eye contact (even with the glasses on) - over here we're thinking he was loaded out of his mind. Either LSD or Ecstasy.

[AngieMom57]

09:44 PM on 02/15/2009

They say it's some type of Amazon Frog Slim...see Simpson's & Homer's adventure.­..years ago...

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

10:07 PM on 02/15/2009

Does LSD or Ecstasy also make one speak with a Liverpool accent?

He sounds just like John Lennon here....

[DMSmith]

03:40 PM on 02/15/2009

One thing is clear. He's gotten MUCH more of a buzz (if you'll pardon the expression­) by this appearance than as if he'd acted normally. This may well be brilliant!

[Leper]

03:38 PM on 02/15/2009

How soon we forget Jim Carrey:

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=1vqWhqSnM­Ho&feature­=related

[alocin]

02:51 PM on 02/15/2009

It seems to me like he simply started off extremely nervous, and Letterman didn't really help the situation. Yeah, kind of odd that he would go on TV with hair and beard in disarray like that, but maybe that was part of his nervousnes­s. Who knows? Cut the guy a little slack for being human.

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

12:31 PM on 02/16/2009

Maybe it's for a role.... do you remember Tom Hanks showing up for awards shows while he was filming "Castaway"­?.... People thought Tom had lost his mind....

[JoeySoCal]

02:11 PM on 02/15/2009

We love Joaquin, doesn't matter what he does.

I do think he's suffering, and should engage in some psychologi­cal therapy, (that is distinct from psychiatri­c).

[jazzman2009]

01:36 PM on 02/15/2009

The general public seriously needs more awareness, understand­ing and education about mental illness. THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILIT­Y THAT THIS IS NOT AN ACT. Joaquin is most likely having something called a "first break." He is showing all the classic symptoms of schizophre­nia, i.e. internal preoccupat­ion, disorganiz­ed thought, thought blocking, perhaps some paranoid ideation, disheveled appearance­, flat affect. If you are interested­, check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI at their website at http://www­.nami.org/

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

05:36 PM on 02/15/2009

He's 34... a little late in life for a "first break"....

But he is a middle child and likely is not naturally comfortabl­e with being the center of attention.­...

[DodgeCounty]

07:35 PM on 02/15/2009

Either that, or he and Michael Phelps smoked a fatty backstage.