Joaquin Phoenix says he regrets his infamous interview with David Letterman, in which he remained in character for the entire, awkward conversation.

On Tuesday night, the star said that he originally did the pre-interview in character and “I realized that it was just a little silly, so I called them back and I said, ‘Listen, this is what I’m doing. I’m coming out here and I’m doing this whole thing.’”

Letterman was visibly annoyed during the awkward interview, in which Phoenix appeared distracted, answered questions in only very brief phrases, and chewed gum throughout. He also