Joaquin Phoenix regrets his David Letterman's 2009 Interview, says "It was horrible and uncomfortable"

More than 16 years after his bizarre appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Joaquin Phoenix is finally opening up about how it felt — and he’s not sugarcoating it. In a new conversation while promoting his film Eddington, the Oscar-winning actor called the experience “one of the worst nights” of his life.

To rewind: back in February 2009, Phoenix showed up on Letterman’s show looking disoriented, with a scruffy beard, sunglasses, and a generally unbothered attitude. He mumbled through the segment, barely responded to Letterman’s questions, and at one point, pulled out gum from his mouth and stuck it on the host’s desk. The performance led many viewers to believe he was either spiraling or having a breakdown.

But as it turned out, Phoenix was deep in character for I’m Still Here, a mockumentary he was shooting with Casey Affleck. The film followed a fictionalized version of Phoenix as he pretended to quit acting and become a rapper. That Letterman interview was part of the act — but it didn’t land the way he’d hoped.

Appearing recently on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Phoenix revisited that chaotic night. “Yeah, it was strange, because in some ways it was a success and also just one of the worst nights of my life,” he said. He admitted he had done the pre-interview in character but later called the show’s team to explain what he was really up to. “I just want Dave to like, lacerate me. I just want it to be really dangerous,” he said, describing his original mindset.