Joaquin Phoenix apologized for his 2009 Late Show with Dave Letterman interview, because why not.

Mike Marsland / Mike Marsland/WireImage

In yonder late '00s, Joaquin appeared on the talk show to talk about his 2008 movie Two Lovers and his purported pivot from acting to rap. Seemingly confused, he mumbled his way through the interview, leading some to conclude that he'd had some kind of mental breakdown.

CBS / Via youtube.com

Some noted at the time that Joaquin's older brother, River, had died from a drug overdose. 

After a string of similarly confounding appearances, it was finally revealed that Joaquin was actually in character for the 2010 mockumentary I'm Still Here. "You've interviewed many, many people and I assumed that you would know the difference between a character and a real person," he told Letterman the following year. "I apologize. I hope I didn't offend you in any way."

CBS via Getty Images

Anyway, last night, Joaquin returned to The Late Show for the first time since the whole debacle — and it didn't take long for Stephen Colbert to bring up the incident.

View this video on YouTube CBS / Via youtube.com

When Stephen asked how long Joaquin stayed "in character," he replied, "We shot for over a year. I did not anticipate that...then, as part of the promotion for a film that I had made, I was coming on this show. And so I was stuck."

CBS

As for whether people would ever get "mad" or "misunderstand" the bit, Joaquin replied, "That was part of it. I mean, that was the intention. That's what we wanted. When I came on the show with Dave, I originally did the pre-interview in character, and I realized that it was a little silly. So, I called them back and I said, 'Listen, this is what I'm doing. I'm telling you, I'm coming out here and I'm doing this whole thing, and I just want Dave to lacerate me.'"

Alexander Tamargo / Getty Images

"I just wanted to be really dangerous," he continued. "That was the intention, right? We just always wanted to get this reaction and see how I would respond to that. So, it was beneficial for no one to know, except when needed. It was horrible. It was so uncomfortable. I regret it. I'll never do it again. I'm so sorry... It was a success, and it was also just one of the worst nights of my life."

CBS

As Joaquin's words made the rounds, some mentioned that his apologies might be better served elsewhere — such as his exit from a Todd Haynes gay romance movie last year, mere days before shooting was set to begin.

Is there anyone else you’d like to apologize to….a director maybe. https://t.co/Rm0y0lgSUR

— John (@SP33DRAC3RX) July 16, 2025

Twitter: @SP33DRAC3RX

You can watch the full interview with Joaquin here.