‘Two Lovers’ Director Criticizes Joaquin Phoenix

Some of you may have missed the train wreck that Joaquin Phoenix has become in recent months. What happened in a nutshell was that during the making of Two Lovers, Phoenix decided he needed a change of career… from acting to rapping. Wow. As you can imagine, this has been a somewhat controversial decision.

As well as deciding hip-hop was where his new passion lay, Phoenix also thought a big shaggy beard would also be fitting. Unfortunately, he still had a responsibility to promote the new film, and his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman was a joy to behold.

There has been speculation that this whole thing is some kind of huge wind-up, being part of an art project in collaboration with Casey Affleck. Either that or Phoenix is having a very public breakdown. His Two Lovers co-star Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t sure which it is. Either way, the movie’s director, James Gray isn’t too happy.

He told The Times newspaper:

“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!”

“Towards the end of the movie he kept saying, ‘I’m tired, I’m tired, I don’t want to act any more. I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I can’t take it!’ And I thought, at the time, he was just tired. But I must say, 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.”

So, Gary isn’t too happy that Phoenix’s transformation has overshadowed his film, but he is convinced it’s all real and not a hoax as so many people assume. In which case, what the hell is Phoenix playing at? I’d give my right arm to be a Hollywood actor earning the kind of money Joaquin does. And he’s given it all up for an ill-fated detour into rap music. How truly bizarre.