Joaquin Phoenix’s visit with US talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night took a seemingly awkward turn when the host introduced outtakes from his new film Joker.
The clips – as seen in the video above) show an agitated Joaquin in makeup, apparently snapping at cinematographer Lawrence Sher for talking.
“The constant whispering, just shut the fuck up, dude,” Joaquin said in one snippet. “Trying to find something real.”
He then seems to apologise and reignites his beef by declaring, “I know you started the fucking Cher thing, Larry.”
“Cher, really? Singer, actor, dancer, fashion icon ― how is that a fucking insult?” Joaquin said.
“I’m a little embarrassed,” the three-time Oscar nominee told Jimmy Kimmel, after watching the clips.
But was he really? It may well be that Joaquin was having us all on. Remember his “performance art” on David Lettterman’s The Late Show to promote his supposed career change in a faux documentary called I’m Still Here?
Last month, Joaquin made headlines when he walked out of an interview with The Telegraph to promote the new DC film.
After the reporter conducting the interview suggested that Joker could serve as an inspiration tp “exactly the kind of people [the film] is about, with potentially tragic results”, it was not something the actor took kindly to.
In fact, he was left more or less speechless by the question, reportedly muttering “why would you..?” before “walking out of the door”, only to return an hour later, to complete the interview.
Watch his latest promo interview in the video above.