Joaquin Phoenix made an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, July 15, where he addressed his notorious 2009 interview with David Letterman. During that infamous appearance, Phoenix stayed in character throughout what turned into an awkwardly cringe-worthy conversation.
“It was horrible,” Phoenix said. “It was so uncomfortable. I regret it. I’ll never do it again. I’m so sorry.”
Making sure Letterman could hear his apology if he was watching, Phoenix repeated, “I just need to say, I’m sorry.” He even joked about returning to the same theater where the Letterman interview happened, saying, “I imagine they did a major exorcism after I left.”
Back in February 2009, Phoenix showed up on “The Late Show” sporting a massive beard and sunglasses. He mumbled through the entire interview, barely responding to Letterman’s questions and appearing totally checked out.
The situation got heated when Phoenix took gum from his mouth and stuck it under Letterman’s desk. Throughout the segment, Letterman roasted Phoenix while the audience laughed, but the actor remained stone-faced.
“Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight,” Letterman quipped as he wrapped the interview up.
The whole stunt was actually part of Phoenix’s mockumentary “I’m Still Here,” where he pretended to quit acting to become a rapper. The Late Show appearance ended up being used as a scene in the film.
When Phoenix returned to Letterman’s show in 2010 as himself, he explained the character act. “I hope I didn’t offend you in any way,” he told the host. Letterman responded, “Oh no, I was not offended. I’m telling you, it was so much fun.”
Speaking with Colbert this week while promoting Eddington, Phoenix revealed he felt trapped having to maintain his character during the “I’m Still Here” filming. He mentioned telling Letterman’s team beforehand about staying in character and wanting the host to mock him.
“I said, ‘Listen, this is what I’m doing. I’m telling you, I’m coming out here and I’m doing this whole thing, and I just want Dave to lacerate me,’” Phoenix recalled. “I just want it to be really dangerous.”
Looking back, Phoenix acknowledged getting exactly what he asked for, noting, “In some ways, it was a success, and it was also just one of the worst nights of my life.”
