Today's Evil Beet Gossip

This is For Any of You Who Thought That the Joaquin Phoenix Hoax Was Not a Hoax

photo of joaquin phoenix pictures of the actor turned rap star

So, Casey Affleck, the director of Joaquin Phoenix’s “home movie” featuring the eventual breakdown of an award-winning actor-turned-rap star, is finally admitting what everyone in America has known for, well, quite some time: that the Phoenix hoax was just that — a hoax. According to Affleck, who recently spoke out about the movie:

“It’s a terrific performance, it’s the performance of his career.”

This statement was in response to critic Roger Ebert, after the movie I’m Still Here was released last week. Ebert, who clearly thought that the hoax was truth, reviewed the movie and said that the film was a “a sad and painful documentary that serves little useful purpose other than to pound another nail into the coffin” — the coffin clearly representing Phoenix’s thought-dead career.

Affleck claims that he simply wanted to engage in some Hunter S. Thompson-type of filmmaking, and never intended to make anyone believe that the entire ordeal wasn’t a ruse:

“I never intended to trick anybody. The idea of a quote, hoax, unquote, never entered my mind.”

While it’s hardly surprising, at least to me, the New York Times feels that Joaquin and company are going to have to do some serious damage control in order to repair his image.

But me? Nah, I don’t think so. I think that people are more interested to see what Phoenix’s next move — and movie — is going to be.

Thanks for finally dropping the front, Joaquin, and I totally appreciate the message that you’re sending to today’s society (we’re all obsessed with the bad fortune of individuals in the spotlight), but can we go back to doing real movies now? Thanks.

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