‘Joker’s Joaquin Phoenix Curses Out Crew Member in ‘Kimmel’ Behind-the-Scenes Footage

Joaquin Phoenix, why so serious? On Tuesday night, the Joker star stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he was surprised by a never-before-seen outtake from the set of his new film. In the short clip, Phoenix — in full Joker makeup — curses out his cinematographer, who he believes urged everyone to jokingly call him Cher. “You think it’s fucking funny making fun of me?” says the visibly angry actor. “It’s not even an insult. Cher, really? Singer, actor, dancer, fashion icon — how’s that a fucking insult?”

After asking Phoenix if he “had fun making” Joker, Kimmel brought up an exclusive “outtake reel” sent to him by director Todd Phillips. “Let’s take a look at that. Tell us what was happening here,” said the ABC host.

“The constant whispering, just shut the fuck up dude,” says Phoenix, his face white from his character’s makeup. “I’m trying to like, find something real. Fuck dude. Fuck. Sorry, fuck. It’s not a big deal. It’s not a big deal. Yeah, it kinda is. Fuck. I know you started the fucking Cher thing, Larry. You think it’s fucking funny making fun of me? Like I’m a fucking diva? It’s not even an insult. Cher, really? Singer, actor, dancer, fashion icon — how’s that a fucking insult? Fuck I can’t do this, man.”

Phoenix was visibly surprised, but it’s possible that his reaction wasn’t real. The actor has a history of participating in late night performance art: in 2009, he did a bizarre interview with David Letterman that was later revealed to be part of his documentary, I’m Still Here.

“Now, what happened there? Who’s Larry?” asked Kimmel. “Um, Larry is the cinematographer. This is so embarrassing,” said Phoenix. “Look, sometimes movies get intense because you’re a lot of people in a small space and you’re trying to find something. So it can feel intense. But that was supposed to be private. I’m a little embarrassed. I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry you guys had to see that.”

The Joker star went on to say that “it’s not Larry’s fault” and that “there’s no excuse” for his behavior. After some light back-and-forth, Phoenix apologized to cinematographer Lawrence Sher — kind of. “I am sorry, but he did whisper, like, constantly while we were trying to work,” said the actor. “And sometimes it’s really hard to find the emotion that you’re after. So, it was wrong of me and I’m sorry, but he shouldn’t have done it.”

Watch Joaquin Phoenix’s entire interview with Jimmy Kimmel in the clip above. Phoenix’s Joker F-bomb filled rant begins at the 8:28 mark.

Where to stream Jimmy Kimmel Live