Stranger things have happened. In 2008, actor Joaquin Phoenix abandoned his acting career in a very public way on a memorable David Letterman appearance, seeming to retire from movies to focus on his career as a rapper. The whole thing, Phoenix said, was going to end up in a documentary made by friend and brother-in-law Casey Affleck (brother of Boris Yeltsin lookalike Ben Affleck), known as I’m Still Here. Well, I’m Still Here made its debut at the Venice International Film Festival, and now director Casey Affleck has revealed that Joaquin Phoenix’s I’m Still Here descent into a drugged-out, overweight, wannabe rapper is entirely fictional.
I’m Still Here is less a documentary and more of a mockumentary, with most of the scenes completely fictional and most of the guest stars completely in on the act. The only person who didn’t know is apparently David Letterman, upon whose show the initial announcement was made. “It’s a terrific performance, it’s the performance of his career,” said Affleck of his work with Phoenix.
Image: Time
Tags: Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, I’m Still Here, Magnolia Pictures, fictional documentary, movies, Hollywood, hoaxes, performance art, Joaquin Phoenix’s rap career a joke, David Letterman, unusual movies, publicity