When Oscar-nominated actor-turned-rapper-turned-hobo Joaquin Phoenix stopped by CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman on Feb. 11, America got a firsthand glimpse of the la-la land where Phoenix evidently now resides. Where to begin — his lumberjack beard? His unwashed mane? The creepy, unnecessary shades? Or the catatonic, mumbling responses to admittedly ridiculous questions like, “How’s that beard working out for ya?”
After several failed attempts to jolt Phoenix out of his stupor, Letterman finally resorted to biting sarcasm: “What can you tell us about your days with the Unabomber?” For its part, the crowd loved it. Phoenix, not so much. (“Are you f___ing serious?” he asked after Letterman sidekick Paul Shaffer let out a maniacal laugh; though Phoenix’s behavior begs the same question.) Bidding his oddball guest adieu, Letterman quipped, “And, uh, Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight,” before adding, “We owe an apology to Farrah Fawcett.”