Joaquin Phoenix, fake rapper extraordinare, was on Letterman last night ostensibly to promote his new movie Two Lovers. But judging by his near-mute, faux-contentious appearance, he's already trying to promote his Casey Affleck-directed "documentary" about his "rap career" by living his life inside of a giant pair of scare quotes.
Here's "Joaquin Phoenix" vs. Letterman:
Clearly, Joaquin Phoenix thinks he's the new Andy Kaufman—or, with the beard, the new Zach Galifianakis—but in truth Joaquin Phoenix is just the new, super-annoying, uber-self-involved Joaquin Phoenix. That's not to say his appearance on The Late Show wasn't funny—it was hilarious, but that's mainly thanks to Letterman. Still, Phoenix's commitment is admirable—until the end when he takes off his glasses and goes to shake Letterman's hand. This clip should make a good addition to the "media reaction" and or "downward spiral" montage in Affleck's mockumentary.