“It’s a terrific performance, it’s the performance of his career,” Affleck, who directed Phoenix's terrific performance in I'm Not There, said in an interview with the NY Times. Affleck also added that he was never attempting to trick anybody. “The idea of a quote, hoax, unquote, never entered my mind.”

Regarding Phoenix's forthcoming appearance on David Letterman, a return to the scene of where he made an ass out of himself last year, Affleck let it be known we'd be seeing the "real" Phoenix this time, and that the mumbling fool we witnessed in February of '09 was just part of the performance... Jokes on someone, I guess.

Somewhere in here is an "if a tree falls in the woods" analogy...  

Admit it, were you ever fooled by Phoenix's shtick?

Source: NY Times