# Another weird interview night with David Letterman \[Joaquin Phoenix\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488 "2009-02-12T05:07:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/1 "2009-02-12T05:07:38Z")
Joaquin Phoenix is on … something…or he’s putting us on. It’s , well, indescribable. Phoenix has sunglasses on, he’s not talking. Why did he bother to come on? Anybody else seeing this? Help me out here. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/2 "2009-02-12T05:08:49Z")
I’m watching Joaquin Phoenix being interviewed by David Letterman right now. Bizarre. Phony British accent, bushy beard, sunglasses, terse answers, distracted air, slurred speech. Is he always this weird? Is he just putting Dave on? ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/3 "2009-02-12T05:12:15Z")
Hey Walloon - I started a thread on this about two minutes before yours. Yours has the better title. I guess I can ask to get mine locked. Anyway, what the hell did Phoenix go on the show for??? As I wondered so classically in my post, is he on something or is he putting us on? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/4 "2009-02-12T05:14:28Z")
This is surreal. You can tell Letterman wants to shake him like a British nanny. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/5 "2009-02-12T05:16:18Z")
He’s promoting his new movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, _Two Lovers_. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/6 "2009-02-12T05:18:47Z")
Merged the threads. I haven’t been following the whole thing, but I’ve got no idea at all what’s going on with Phoenix. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/7 "2009-02-12T05:19:14Z")
Well, he just promoted himself onto Dave’s shit-list. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/8 "2009-02-12T05:19:22Z")
Funniest damn thing I’ve seen in ages. It _had_ to be a put-on, though, right? Right? ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/9 "2009-02-12T05:19:30Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > He’s promoting his new movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, _Two Lovers_. Well, no, he really wasn’t, was he. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/10 "2009-02-12T05:19:37Z")
LOL. Dave closes the interview with, “Joaquin, we’re sorry you couldn’t be here tonight” and “We owe Farrah Fawcett an apology.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/11 "2009-02-12T05:20:15Z")
He’s had a history of giving highly eccentric interviews before. It’s hard to tell if he’s dicking around or not. I think he might just be really uncomfortable giving interviews. Then again, he might be on drugs. He doesn’t seem like he lacks lucidity tonight, more like he just doesn’t know what to say. Letterman’s Farrah Fawcett remark makes me think he knows it’s drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/12 "2009-02-12T05:20:30Z")
“Sorry you couldn’t be here. . .” Thanks for the heads-up. This ranks up there with the Crispin Glover interview. Sooo glad I caught it! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/13 "2009-02-12T05:20:51Z")
I know what I’m watching tomorrow on YouTube then. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/14 "2009-02-12T05:31:47Z")
What the…what??? Why do I feel that the next time J. Phoenix is in the news, it’s going to be for rehab or death? “We owe an apology to Farrah Fawcett” made me laugh. I don’t enjoy schaedenfreude but it’s so past…wow. > **[Joaquin Phoenix's Bizarre Letterman Appearance: (VIDEO)](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joaquin-phoenixs-bizarre_n_166229)** > > Joaquin Phoenix's Bizarre Letterman Appearance: (VIDEO) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/15 "2009-02-12T05:34:13Z")
Joaquin comes on the show tonight with a heavy beard, dark glasses, and his hair looking like a rat’s nest. You could barely tell it was him under all that. Dave asks a few questions to which Joaquin gives monosyllabic or no answers. There are some awkward pauses. Dave says he’s heard that Joaquin is going to give up acting, and say he hopes he’ll change his mind, praising his acting skill. Joaquin says little or nothing. Eventually Dave gets tired of this nonsense, and starts getting a little nasty. And funny. At the end of the segment he says, “Well, gee, Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.” So what’s the deal with Joaquin? Was it an act, like Charles Grodin? Is he like this on all shows? Or does he just not like Dave? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/16 "2009-02-12T05:34:18Z")
An edited version is up on [http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/](http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/). And I’m kind of glad I didn’t have to sit through the full “interview.” I think maybe it’s Joaquin’s idea of a Kaufman-esque joke, but I’m glad Dave turned it around on him. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/17 "2009-02-12T05:55:59Z")
Just watched it. What drugs do that??? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/18 "2009-02-12T06:35:12Z")
Just watched it on TiVo. Good god, he was laid out on something. Either that, or he’s a really nervous interview. Or maybe just a flake. The gum snark was hilarious but really uncomfortable, too. Man, Dave was pissed but trying to eek some fun out of it. Ugh… what’s with some of these actors? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/19 "2009-02-12T06:47:36Z")
I just saw the Huffington Post video. I’m guessing he’s just nuts. I don’t know what drug would make someone catatonic like that, even being super high would cause him to be a little more chatty. I think he’s a douche for going on Letterman and acting all “Ooh, I’m so shy during interviews, I’m such a fucking eccentric artist”. If he didn’t want to go on or promote his shit flick he didn’t have to. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488/20 "2009-02-12T06:59:52Z")
> [@Tijuana\_Golds](#): > > If he didn’t want to go on or promote his shit flick he didn’t have to. It’s gotten good reviews all around. Are you claiming you’ve seen it and it was bad? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-interview-night-with-david-letterman-joaquin-phoenix/485488.md?page=2)