Director Casey Affleck and actor Joaquin Phoenix have admitted that their "documentary" is a fake.
The documentary "I'm Still Here" was premiered at Venice Film Festival to a luck warm reaction. Affleck and Phoenix insisted that the film following Phoenix's career move from actor to a drug addled, prostitute visiting rapper was the real deal up until a couple of days ago.
In an interview with the New York Times magazine Affleck admitted that all of their behavior, the bizarre interview with Phoenix on Letterman and all of the hype has been fake. He said that Phoenix was acting. He even admitted that the footage from Phoenix "childhood" was shot using actors.
Just days ago Affleck spoke at a press conference in Venice saying that the film was real. He said "I sincerely do not want to influence people's interpretation.
"I can tell you there's no hoax, the idea of a hoax makes me think of candid camera and things like [MTV prank show] Punk'd.
"It never entered my conscience, until other people started to talk about the movie."
However in the interview with the New York Times he admitted that Phoenix was merely giving "the performance of his career". The movie includes scenes where Phoenix is taking drugs, looking on the internet for call girls, attacking a heckler and vomiting.
Affleck added: "I never intended to trick anybody."
Next week Phoenix will appear on the David Letterman's late night chat show again, this time presumably out of character and back to normal.