I'm Still Here Page #2

- Yeah, it's 10 minutes fast.

The clock says 6:00.

Joaquin, how are you, my man?

Nice to see you again.

Hey, Casey, how are you?

- What's up? How are you?

- Good to see you.

Listen, I want to take

this opportunity

also to give you an exclusive

and just talk a little bit about the fact

that this will be my last performance

as an actor. I'm not doing films anymore.

- Are you serious?

- Yeah.

Joaquin Phoenix done with acting?

Listen, I want to take

this opportunity

also to give you an exclusive

and just talk a little bit about the fact

that this will be

my last performance as an actor.

I'm not doing films anymore.

That's what he told our Jerry Penacoli.

Joaquin, say it ain't so.

The phone has been ringing off the hook.

The emails are out of control.

Sue, "Two Lovers" will be

my last press stuff that I'll do.

And I'm not acting anymore

and I'm doing this hip-hop record.

And all the world is green

So pretend that you owe...

It's not hard enough to make a transition

and I don't need my f***ing brother-in-law

- making it more difficult.

- If you wanted this to be handled better

then you should have f***ing

talked to your publicist.

You should have had a press release,

but you don't want to talk to anyone like that

because you don't want to deal

with any of that f***ing bullshit.

So then don't deal with that bullshit,

but what happens

is when you walk down a red carpet,

you have to answer

the f***ing questions on your own.

I didn't know what

you wanted me to say, man.

This is you, dude.

I love it, man.

That's what motherfucking

retirement's about.

- Playing by our own rules.

- I know, I know.

Are you ready?

Fine.

But my sh*t smells, dude.

Lar, out!

What about if they laugh at you?

I've been laughed at before, man.

I mean, have you seen

some of the movies I've done?

Joaquin Phoenix

announced his retirement today.

Phoenix announced

that he was retiring from acting.

Phoenix has announced

he is retiring

from Hollywood...

He is a former Oscar nominee

who walked away...

...may be calling it quits

right in the prime of his career.

...leaving Tinseltown...

We're hearing that he's done.

If you're telling me

"I cannot act anymore," right,

I think it'd be a shame.

But if you're saying

"I just don't-- don't send me any scripts.

I just want to be shut off to it,"

I think that's a mistake,

because I think it is something--

Yeah, of course, but within reason.

Yeah, no. You know.

So there's, um...

what?

The one that's--

There goes fame like a train

Speeding faster than bullets,

everybody's moving back

Arms flying up on some "no sir,"

backs is breaking

And times were tinkered,

we'll all go drinking

Time to go away

when the workers streaking--

Reference to retiring.

Nobody else had the guts

to stand up and not give a f***

And walk out

on all that love...

That one's better than the first one.

It's a drug,

this whole fame game

Gonna plug your lame sh*t

on sofas with David Letterman

Worse yet, Jaybird get to singing you

to welcome death

But you see, the f***ing thing is

I'm gonna get up

And dust myself off again

You can do this, Joaquin,

with the help of your fans

With the help of your fans.

So I started with this piano...

This'll be how the bass...

Take it all, kid,

don't you wanna get rich?

Your mother got a stage,

now get your ass up on there, kid

If you wanna make the crew

happier than sh*t

Then you'll shut her ass up,

you little son of a b*tch.

Hey, Tom, it's Nic.

Uh, yeah, I'm calling about

coming in tonight with J.P.

Yep.

And do you have a mike

if he wants to perform?

You got the home boy

Joaquin Phoenix

about to kick some rap

for you all one time.

Let's go, brother.

- I liked it.

- Thanks, man.

I thought,

"So f*** them," right?

And J.P.--

oh, Joaquin Phoenix

or Johnny Cash,

whatever the f*** his name is.

I made it to the point

in my career

where I didn't have to, like,

impress or show people.

They just knew and I think

I grew comfortable in that

and I thought that

I could just, like,

jump into this and have

the same impact,

but...

They weren't seeing it,

but you have to give people time,

you know?

And maybe they were seeing,

you know,

the movie actor

up there rapping and...

But-- but my--

right, but there's nothing about

the f***-- the lyrics,

there's truth if they just

would have just f***ing listened.

Billing be top,

kid be rocking the star

Flash cars and bulbs

taking over his whole f***ing yard

Times is crazy, mothers be

packing up their babies

Papa'd be Swayze, lit up on

some Johnny Blaze sh*t

Billy Crudup got the stage sh*t,

I never try to play this

All I ever needed was a band

of people screaming

Calling out from their cars

and their windows, what they're staring

And peering in to get a creep

at this crazy motherf***er

Tearing up the screen

and always paparazzi ducking

- Stepped away from the light, it wasn't right--

- Yeah yeah.

Took the bull by the horns,

I ain't gonna give up the fight

Tonight's my night

and any motherf***er that wanna be--

- No no, I changed it.

- That was great.

- That was great.

- No, I don't need you.

- No, I mean, but it was--

- I know, but what I'm saying is

if you listen-- that's what I'm saying,

your reaction, "It was great,"

you felt it. They didn't,

because they were

preconceived.

I feel like this is

out of my control now.

Like, who's f***ing

producing this sh*t?

I don't know where

the-- I need a--

a producer who can f***ing explode

the f***ing eggshell away

and let the album

start its life.

So, Dre.

Dre?

I mean, he's like

one of the best out there.

Dude, I'm saying

if Dre f***ing--

- Dre's gonna be into it.

- Okay.

But then it's just a Dre album.

I don't know.

D'you know what I mean?

What about-- what about, what about,

what about Rick Rubin?

So the bad news is Rick Rubin

and Dr. Dre are both booked.

- Are you serious?

- Yeah.

- Um, all right.

- But the good news is

- that it looks like P Diddy might be available.

- Oh, no way.

So I've got a call

into his people right now,

but I just wanted to touch base

before I went any further.

You know, all you can do

is do something for yourself,

believe in it, love it

and then f***ing put it out

in their world

and hope

that people like it--

love it.

I just talked to Carline

at Bad Boy.

Yep, so he'll meet with him?

Diddy's going to be

in New York this weekend,

so we can-- and he wants

to meet with you.

Well, I'm just gonna

let him know

that we'll know sometime

between Friday and Sunday.

It might just be last minute.

You might get there

Thursday night

and Friday I might get a call

and you might have

to see him Friday.

No, I understand.

We'll just be there.

Hopefully we can get

them two together

and get them to meet up,

but I'm not promising anything.

- So I go to f***ing New York--

- And we wait for her to give us a call.

It's like--

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes