This is one of the more bizarre, but genuinely entertaining celeb talk show interviews you’ll see for a while.
There has been speculation that Joaquin Phoenix was being serious, but I think it’s clear that even though David Letterman wasn’t in on the gag, he’s playing it for laughs.
Think about it this way: if Joaquin had gone on David Letterman and just given a straight interview, no-one would probably remember it. Now, it’s quickly become an internet phenomenon and tens of thousands of internet goers will have heard of Two Lovers, the movie he’s on plugging.