Is Joaquin Phoenix a spoiled movie star… or is he pulling our collective leg once again?
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Phoenix was presented with an outtake from
Joker in which he appears to go on a profane rant. Much awkward joking between Phoenix
and Kimmel then ensued, and we're not sure exactly what to make of this for so many reasons.
Phoenix and Kimmel were engaging in easy banter, the star appeared engaged and relaxed, and
everything was going fine until Kimmel appeared to drop a pretty awkward bombshell. Specifically,
he showed a clip from a supposed "outtake reel" courtesy of Joker director Todd Phillips
that didn't exactly show the most flattering side of Mr. Phoenix. In the clip, Phoenix
gaunt and partially made up is attempting to tap into his character, Arthur Fleck, aka
the Joker. Unfortunately, this proves difficult thanks in no small part to the "constant whispering"
of a crew member named Larry.
"Like, the constant whispering, just shut the f--- up, dude. I'm trying to, like, find
something real."
Although it's not heard, it's implied that a man named Larry accuses Phoenix of being
a diva by way of referring to him as "Cher," which irks the star even more.
“And I know you started the f------ Cher thing, Larry."
"That's not even an insult. Cher? Really? Singer, actor, dancer, fashion icon, how is
that a f------ insult?"
Phoenix then declares that he simply can't carry on, and walks out of the frame.
When the interview resumes, Phoenix appears profoundly embarrassed, adjusting his tie
and appearing to start sweating.
"... movies get intense, because you're a lot of people in a small space, and you're
trying to find something, that was supposed to be private."
He says that last part somewhat jokingly, and throughout, the audience is laughing along,
giving him the benefit of the doubt.
It's rather disarming and a little weird to see such a massively talented actor set completely
off his axis, looking confused and mortified unless, that is, you're familiar with the
months-long piece of performance art which Phoenix staged roughly a decade ago. In October
2008, Phoenix made the surprising announcement that he was quitting acting to focus full-time
on music rap music, to be exact. He made good on his promise to become a rapper early the
following year, with a debut performance in Las Vegas that was equal parts unintentionally
hilarious and actually painful.
For the remainder of 2009, Phoenix publicly insisted that he was done with acting while
apparently attempting to barrel forward with his rap career. Remember that famously bizarre,
awkward appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman?
"How is that? The beard?"
"In what way?"
"Well, is it comfortable? Is it itchy? Is it — are you pleased with it?"
"I'm OK with it, but now you're making me feel weird about it."
Not long after the interview, word leaked out that the star had enlisted director Casey
Affleck to direct a documentary following his transition from movie star to dope MC.
"I said I'll never go back to acting and now I can't I don’t know I’m miserable ? f-------
music sucks and I didn't even f--- know it… I'm so stupid."
In 2010, the film titled I'm Still Here was released, and shortly thereafter, the ruse
fell apart. It had all been a giant hoax, one that Phoenix had perpetrated in public
with a straight face for over a year. He returned to acting in 2012 with a brilliant performance
in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, and recently, he's stated that the whole thing
was a gag between himself and Affleck that got seriously out of hand.
Considering the extreme lengths to which Phoenix was willing to go to put one over on his fans,
the Jimmy Kimmel Live! bit seems well, a bit suspect. Why would Phillips blindside his
star by sending the talk show host such an embarrassing outtake? Why would Kimmel drop
it on Phoenix without warning him in advance?
At the end of the day, the I'm Still Here experiment proved beyond a shadow of a doubt
that there are no actors quite so willing to yank the chains of their audience like
Phoenix and it turns out that the profane outtake screened on Jimmy Kimmel Live! was
a hoax, as the actor's publicist told Entertainment Weekly that it was a, quote, "joke outtake."
And that's a good thing, too. Joaquin Phoenix seems like a pretty well-adjusted guy so we
had our fingers crossed that he wasn't as big of a jerk as his character Arthur Fleck
inevitably turns out to be when he assumes the identity of the Joker in the Clown Prince
of Crime's next big-screen outing.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
stuff are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss
a single one.