16-07-2025
Watch: Joaquin Phoenix 'so sorry' for 'horrible' 2009 'Letterman' interview
1 of 5 | Joaquin Phoenix apologized for his "horrible," "uncomfortable" 2009 interview with David Letterman during his visit to "The Late Show" Tuesday. File Photo by Rocco Spaziani/UPI | License Photo
July 16 (UPI) -- Eddington star Joaquin Phoenix is apologizing for his "horrible" 2009 interview on The Late Show with David Letterman.
The actor, 50, discussed the experience when he stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday.
In 2009, Phoenix spoke to then-Late Show host David Letterman while in character for his film I'm Not Here, in which he portrays a version of himself who quits acting to become a hip-hop artist. His appearance and behavior during the interview led some to believe Phoenix was having a mental breakdown.
"It was horrible. It was so uncomfortable. I regret it. I'll never do it again. I'm so sorry," the actor told Colbert with a smile.
"It was strange because in some ways, it was a success, and it was also just one of the worst nights of my life," he added.
Phoenix said the situation happened because he stayed in character for the duration of filming, which lasted longer than he anticipated.
"We shot for over a year. I did not anticipate that. I thought I was going to be several weeks, maybe a couple months, and what happened was -- because it started out just in my house... and then we started going public," he said, adding, "I had to keep it going."
Phoenix next stars in Eddington, which opens in theaters Friday. The film is directed by Ari Aster and also features Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler and Luke Grimes.
