Joaquin Phoenix has caused concern with his alarmingly unkempt appearance and his recent monosyllabic stint on The David Letterman Show has made matters even worse for the actor turned rap singer (ahem).

It has been reported that Joaquin’s peculiar behaviour is all part of an elaborate hoax; that he is pretending change careers to become a rap artist and faking a breakdown which is being filmed by fellow actor Casey Affleck for a spoof documentary. Others have claimed that the twice Oscar nominated star is in fact making not a “spoof” but an “art project” with Casey.

But Joaquin has denied those speculations, saying:

“I can see how people might think it is shocking. But by saying my life is a joke or the thing that I love is a joke – well, that bothers me.”

During his awkward  performance on the show, David Letterman tried his best to coax Joaquin out of his apparent sulky mood by complimenting his acting abilities. But the actor continued to just mumble incoherently and look down at his shoes like an insolent child. He refused to engage in conversation and at one point he almost walked off the set, muttering,”OK I don’t have to do this.”

David joked that he should go round to Joaquin’s house to “chew gum” at which point Joaquin removed his chewing gum (but not his sunglasses), only to put it back in his mouth moments later. As the show ended (much to everyone’s relief), the host joked, “Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t have been here tonight”, as the audience just laughed.

And he couldn’t have been more right. Whether it’s a hoax, an art project or a genuine nervous breakdown, Joaquin’s certainly got us all talking. And guessing…

This entry was posted on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 8:20 pm and is filed under Celebrities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.