VIDEO: Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman and Late Night’s Other Craziest Interviews

Joaquin Phoenix made quite a splash on Letterman last night. The actor-turned-rapper’s appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman is fueling all sorts of speculation about his true intentions (not to mention his true use of mind-altering drugs).

Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman

Joaquin Phoenix, who recently announced he was leaving acting behind to start a career in rap, greeted Letterman wearing dark sunglasses and a full bushy beard. Greeted may the wrong word, though — Phoenix barely spoke during his interview, only coming to life when Letterman poked fun at his unresponsiveness. At that point, Phoenix actually stuck the gum he’d been chewing onto Letterman’s desk. Letterman, of course, handled the incident with grace.

“What can you tell us about your days with the Unabomber?” he said at one point in the interview.

And in closing, Dave simply stated: “Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.”

Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman Video

The following video shows Joaquin Phoenix’s Letterman appearance. Judge for yourself what’s really going on inside his head.

Other Crazy Letterman Interviews

Phoenix definitely takes his place among Late Night‘s craziest celebrity interviews. Here are three other memorable moments of actors acting out with Dave.

Farrah Fawcett gave Glover a run for his money with this 1997 Letterman chat:

Harvey Pekar actually got banned from the Late Show as a result of this 1988 appearance: