After an Oscar nomination for his 2005 role in Walk the Line, Joaquin Phoenix had Hollywood at his command. But instead of building on his film career, Phoenix dropped out early last year, growing a bushy beard and giving a series of monosyllabic TV interviews saying he was quitting acting to become a hip-hop musician. Rumors followed that his eccentric ways were a put on — part of a mockumentary about fame directed by his brother-in-law Casey Affleck. Now that Affleck has reportedly begun shopping around his movie, I'm Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix, is it safe to say that Phoenix's bizarre behavior was just an act? (Watch Phoenix's interview with David Letterman)
Even people who've seen the movie aren't sure: Those who've seen the film are "even more mystified by Phoenix’s behavior" than before, says John Horn in the Los Angeles Times. He "comes off unsympathecially," snorting cocaine, ordering call girls, and abusing his assistants. At one "stomach-turning" point, someone even defecates on him while he's asleep. The only thing previewers agreed on was "they'd never seen anything like it."
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