Joaquin Phoenix reflects on Infamous “I’m Still Here” Letterman Appearance, Calls it “Horrible”
Joaquin Phoenix recently revisited his notoriously awkward 2009 appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” describing the experience as “horrible” and expressing regret.the actor, who was promoting his mockumentary “I’m Still Here” at the time, played a version of himself who had seemingly abandoned his acting career to pursue a rap music venture.
The film, “I’m Still Here,” depicted Phoenix’s supposed career shift, and his interview with Letterman became a widely discussed moment in late-night television history. During the segment, a disheveled Phoenix offered curt responses, appeared disengaged, and generally made the interview a challenging experience for Letterman, lasting a full eight minutes.
Phoenix explained to Stephen Colbert that his intention during the Letterman interview was to create a “dangerous” and unpredictable situation. He revealed that he had initially conducted a pre-interview in character but decided to proceed with the “whole thing” for the actual broadcast,wanting Letterman to “lacerate” him. His goal, he stated, was to elicit a specific reaction and observe his own response to it, a strategy he admitted was beneficial for no one to know in advance.
Looking back, Phoenix characterized the television moment as “horrible” and admitted, “I regret it, I’ll never do it again. I’m so sorry.” He even contemplated whether Letterman might be watching his current appearance and felt compelled to reiterate his apology.
This sentiment echoes his return to “The Late Show” in 2010, where he offered a form of apology to Letterman for the interview. At that time, Phoenix stated, “I hope I didn’t offend you in any way. You’ve interviewed many, many people, and I assumed that you would know the difference between a character and a real person, but I apologize.”
Reflecting on the duality of the experience, Phoenix told Colbert that while the interview was “one of the worst nights of my life,” it was also, in some ways, a “success.”
