14 DAY TRIAL // When Joaquin Phoenix first announced that he would be quitting acting to pursue a career in hip-hop, most thought this was just another classic example of a star looking to branch out, one that would end once he would see the future held nothing but failure. Initially, James Gray, the director of Phoenix’s latest film, “Two Lovers,” thought the actor was drawing inspiration from his own example, but he is now telling a different story, having seen Joaquin’s horrendous live performances of late.
According to PR Inside, Gray is at a loss as to what to believe about the career change of the Oscar-winning actor, and one of the best thespians he ever had the pleasure of working with. If Joaquin is serious about turning rapper, then he definitely needs help. If not, then the entire thing must be the most elaborate hoax there ever was in the history of showbiz. Either way, Phoenix needs to stop whatever it is he’s doing right now because he’s making a fool of himself, the director says.
“I’ve seen him in his house, and he has his own recording studio that he built right there. So if this is a hoax, then it’s the most elaborate thing that I have ever seen. If it is shown to be a hoax, then that’s great, because Joaquin will come back to acting. And he is something special. But if it isn’t, you know, I think he needs, well, help.” Gray says, as quoted by the aforementioned e-zine.
However, Gray is not upset only about the waste of talent that Joaquin’s case is, as several media outlets have labeled his foray into hip-hop. As fans must remember, a short while back, Phoenix did a special appearance on The David Letterman Show, only to draw ridicule towards himself because he was hardly able to speak about his latest movie, or his career change for that matter.
Phoenix was on the show to promote “Two Lovers,” Gray says, and all he did was just make people laugh with his ridiculous outfit and his apparent inability to string a couple of words to make a sentence. “It’s like, Letterman was trying to get the movie out there, but the only thing that’s out there now is a crazy person with a beard making a fool of himself!” Gray further explains.