Originally Posted by TheCunningStunt

^

I heard it was staged..

Originally Posted by NumberNineDream

I don't think it was. I still watch Letterman, and he still does bitter jokes about this sad interview.

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

He is currently the subject of a documentary directed by his friend and brother-in-law Casey Affleck; the documentary will follow him as he moves to a career making hip-hop music while managed by rap icon Sean "Diddy" Combs. Filming began in late 2008.

Phoenix made his rap debut in mid-January 2009. Rumors circulated that it was an elaborate hoax, to which Phoenix stated "This is not a joke. Might I be ridiculous? Might my career in music be laughable? Yeah, that's possible, but that's certainly not my intention." However, he has also been reported to have said, “It’s a put-on. I’m going to pretend to have a meltdown and change careers, and Casey is going to film it.”

In May 2010, Casey Affleck's documentary on Phoenix, I’m Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix, was shown to potential buyers. The Los Angeles Times reported that the film featured "more male frontal nudity than you’d find in some gay porn films and a stomach-turning sequence in which someone feuding with Phoenix defecates on the actor while he’s asleep". Reportedly film buyers, after seeing it, were still uncertain whether it was a serious documentary or a mockumentary. The film was acquired for distribution by Magnolia Pictures and is scheduled to appear in theaters September 10th, 2010.