Joaquin Phoenix found pretending to quit acting to be a rapper "liberating".
The 'Walk the Line' star caused controversy with his bizarre behaviour in 2009 - including an appearance on David Letterman's talk show in which he was monosyllabic and appeared edgy - but it was later revealed to be a hoax for spoof documentary 'I'm Still Here' and the 40-year-old actor enjoyed not having a "safety net" around him.
He said: "I'm under the impression that it was a liberating experience for me. Unlike when you're acting and everyone is there to support you and you can do take after take, when I did those live music shows and the movie, the safety net wasn't there. Or maybe the safety net was there, but it was old, worn, full of holes and probably going to collapse."
One particular scene during a shambolic gig saw Joaquin jump into the audience and brawl with a crowd member, an experience he found both "scary and great".
Speaking to Playboy magazine, he said: "When you're dealing with a thousand people in a club and you're doing a fake fight everyone thinks is real except you and the guy you're fighting with, you don't know what's going to happen, and the outcome was very unclear. That was scary and also a great experience.
"I said it was done to experience a change. I don't really know what it did. Only time will tell."
After it was revealed his behaviour was a hoax, Joaquin returned to the 'Late Show with David Letterman' to apologise, but fans still speculated the veteran broadcaster was in on the joke - something the 'Her' star still denies.
He insisted: "David Letterman was not in on the joke. My agents, my publicist Sue Patricola--she's really good in the movie because she seems so concerned, right?--they were all in on it, of course. But look, David Letterman is one of the smartest guys on television. There's no way that guy doesn't know what's going on in some way. That's what I'll say about it.

Oprah Winfrey only agreed to be in 'Selma' after learning her character used to watch her talk show while eating tuna sandwiches.
The 60-year-old star appears as civil rights activist Annie Lee Cooper in the drama movie - based on Martin Luther King's 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, at which Annie punched Selma sheriff Jim Clark - but had reservations because she didn't want to play a person who hit someone.
Despite her concerns, director Ava DuVernay managed to convince the talk show host thanks to the fishy tale about Annie watching 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'.
She said: "I was like, 'I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to play another person who punches somebody out.
"'In every movie, do I have to punch somebody out?' And then Ava sent me [a story] from Google about the real Annie Lee Cooper that said she watched the Oprah show every day.
"Not only watched, but watched it with a tuna fish sandwich - which is exactly how I would want to watch it.
"Ava said, 'What do you think it would mean to this woman who watched you every day?' She got me! She got me. So it was like, 'Yeah, maybe I'll do that.' "
Oprah was initially an unofficial advisor on the movie after her 'The Butler' co-star David Oyelowo, who plays Martin Luther King in the motion picture, informed her about the film, and he later encouraged her to take a producer role on the project but she was not keen to do so much work.
She added to E!: "I was like, 'Producer? I don't want to do that. That means I have to actually work.'
"I said, 'I'll just tell you from behind the scenes what to do.' "

Sir Mick Jagger has been branded "heartless" by L'Wren Scott's family.
The Rolling Stones frontman and his bandmates filed an insurance claim after cancelling a number of Australian tour dates in the wake of the model's suicide in March and the 'Brown Sugar' hitmaker - who was romantically linked with ballerina Melanie Hamrick just a few months after L'Wren's death - has been slammed for claiming his girlfriend's passing caused him to suffer acute traumatic stress, meaning he couldn't perform.
Rob Shane, who is married to L'Wren's sister Jan, said: "The guy [Jagger] doesn't need the money, I laughed when the insurance company turned down his claim.
"All the s**t that Mick is claiming about being unstable, it's ridiculous he's trying to get his way. In a way, I'm not surprised he's doing it. The guy is just unbelievable.
"I read that he's claiming $12.7 million due to the cancellation of the tour and I can't understand that. L'Wren left her entire estate to him and that was valued around the same amount.
"It seems heartless. How distraught could he have really been, seriously? It was only a month or two after L'Wren's death he was with this ballerina or whatever. I mean how distraught [was Mick]?"
Insurers have refused to pay the group, arguing L'Wren"had been suffering from a mental illness" and "either received, or at least had been recommended, medical attention", therefore her death should not be considered to be "sudden and unforeseen".
However, Rob insisted she wasn't mentally ill, telling MailOnline: "L'Wren wasn't mentally unwell, you know it's just some times life catches up to you."
Jan was too distraught to speak about the situation but her husband said she was finding the legal dispute difficult to cope with.
He said: "The whole situation is a big ball of weight being dragged behind her and it's opening up old wounds.
"Jan is trying to put it all behind her, it's a really troubling part of her life losing her sister, and he's in a legal battle with some insurers."

Charlie Hunnam creates a "hand Jacuzzi" by cupping his butt with his palms in the shower.
The 'Sons of Anarchy' actor enjoys experimenting with his naked body while having his daily wash and joked one of his favourite water-based experiences is simulating a hot tub's bubbling water effect with his derriere when he needs to let one rip.
When asked about his shower activities, he said: "There's the hand Jacuzzi, which we've all tried right?
"When you're in the shower and the water's running down your back and you need to break wind. If you cup your bottom and let it fill with water, you can create a little hand Jacuzzi."
When he is not getting inventive in the shower, the 34-year-old star - who plays Jax Teller in 'Sons of Anarchy' - can be found out and about getting plenty of female attention and recalled one instance when an over-excited fan shouted that she wanted to sexually assault him.
Speaking on chat show 'Conan', he added: "I was riding recently, minding my own business, it was early in the morning, I think I was actually going to work. And I stopped at a red light and somebody said, 'Jax! I wanna f***ing rape you!"
"So I said, 'Can I have my breakfast first? ... I just said, 'Thank you, have a nice day.' "
Catch Charlie Hunnam and the cast of 'Sons of Anarchy' on truTV, Freeview channel 68, tonight at 11pm.

Britain's Prince Charles visited Camden Town to honour Kindertransport.
The 65-year-old royal arrived at the Roundhouse in Camden Town, London on Sunday (09.11.14) to watch a very special concert of 'The Last Train To Tomorrow' which honours the rescue mission known as Kindertransport, which saved thousands of Jewish children from Germany before the start of the Second World War in 1939.
The live choral performance - composed by Carl Davis - was arranged by the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) to co-incide with the 76th anniversary of Kristallnatcht.
Michael Newman, a spokesman for the AJR, told the Camden New Journal: "Prince Charles wanted to come along as he has a great personal affection for the refugees who came on the Kindertransport. He was very happy to meet the Kinder, who are all quite elderly now.
"From the quick conversation I had with him, he thought it was a moving occasion."
Despite the serious tone of the evening, one guest decided to lighten the mood by giving Prince Charles a mini oven and a recipe book.
Last year, the royal marked the 75th anniversary of the Kindertransport with a reception at St. James' Palace alongside the evacuees who had been saved by the mission.

Bette Midler says the original 'Hocus Pocus' cast is on-board for a sequel.
The 68-year-old actress starred in the 1993 movie along with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimi, and claims the cast have badgered Disney to create a sequel but to no avail so far.
Suggesting that she had already approached the company about the idea, she said: "You have to go to send in your cards to the Walt Disney Company. The ball is in their court."
The star played witch Winifred 'Winnie' Sanderson in the Halloween-themed movie and expressed her hope that fans will campaign for the cast to reunite for another film.
In a Reddit AMA interview, she said: "Inundate the Disney Company, because I have canvassed the girls [Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimi] and they are willing to do it, but we have no say in it, so if you want a 'Hocus Pocus 2', ask the Walt Disney Company."
The actress has previously revealed that her role in the film is one of the things she is most proud of in her entire career, telling E! News: "I actually think it's the best thing I ever did
"I mean I've done a lot of stuff. I've done a lot in my life. I'm very proud of certain roles that I've played."
In July, movie news website Deadline quashed rumours that Tina Fey would be starring in a sequel to the cult movie, after being announced for a project currently named 'Untitled Witch Project' which was confirmed to be unrelated to the classic film.

William H. Macy has joined the cast of 'Room'.
The 'Wild Hogs' star has signed up to star in the movie adaptation of Emma Donoghue's novel alongside Joan Allen, Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the screenplay for the film has been written by Donoghue with Lenny Abrahamson directing.
The novel - which was published in 2010 - tells the story of a mother, played by Larson and son Jack, played by Tremblay, who plot to escape from the 10-by-10ft room they are kept in by a man known only as Old Nick.
Sean Bridgers, Tom McCamus and Megan Park are also set to join the cast of the drama.
William recently confessed he had "fallen in love" with the film industry "all over again" after getting involved in directing.
The 64-year-old actor - who made his directorial debut on upcoming comedy-drama 'Rudderless' - confessed he's glad he made the decision to get behind the camera so late in life because it's renewed his love for movies.
He explained: "We all know directors who, having done the most brilliant work early in their career, eventually start to flag and get worse.
"They lose touch with the world and work in a vacuum. But because I'm starting in my 60s, I'm approaching it with a humility I wouldn't otherwise have had.
"On the one hand, I'm scared half to death, which means that I listen to people. And on the other, it's as though I've fallen in love with the business all over again."

Pete Doherty is back in rehab.
The Libertines rocker - who has undergone numerous stints in clinics in the past to be treated for drug addiction - is receiving treatment in Thailand and doing "great".
Speaking from Thailand, his bandmate Carl Barat told NME magazine: "Peter's in a great place. We're in a great place staying together. I'm gonna keep popping out and seeing how it's going, show him a bit of support.
"He's grand. Rehab has taken about 10 years off him. I have to pinch myself. These seem like great times."
Pete has previously sought treatment in Thailand on two occasions.
The first stint came when he was released from prison after serving time for burgling Carl's flat but he left after just three days.
The second time, in 2012, he was thrown out after less than three weeks of treatment for heroin and crack cocaine addiction because he was deemed a "disruptive influence".
At the time, Alaistair Mordey of The Cabin in Chiang Mai said: "Pete was discharged today for therapeutic reasons. It is important to maintain the integrity of the treatment programme for the other clients to have a good chance of recovery. Pete understands this and therefore the reasons behind why we have asked him to leave.
"Although our parting with Pete is amicable, we are of course disappointed to see him leave. We hope some of the things he has learnt here will help him in the future and look forward to the day when Pete decides to consider recovery again."

James Franco is to release an album inspired by The Smiths.
The 'Pineapple Express' star has collaborated with Tim O'Keefe and former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke on the venture, which will see his band Daddy release a record and accompanying videos, based on poetry the actor has written, which in itself was inspired by the band.
Speaking of the project, entitled 'Let Me Get What I Want', James told Vice: "We took a 10-poem sequence called 'The Best of the Smiths: Side A and Side B'.
"I originally wrote this sequence as a way to use one medium (music) to influence another one (poetry). The Smiths' songs provided inspiration for the poems, lending tone and situation. Once I had the sequence, Tim and I took the material one step further and turned the poems inspired by songs, back into songs of their own."
If viewed in sequence, the videos which accompany the song tell a full story.
The videos were crafted by students at the actor's mother's school.
Tim explained: "We created the record at the same time James's mom ran a programme teaching kids how to make films [at Palo Alto high school].
"They developed scripts out of the same poems that we made songs out of, then shot film based on those scripts... While they were doing that project, we took all of the raw footage we had for each song and brought in editors to put together our film."

Lindsey Stirling had her "mind blown" by John Legend.
The classically-trained violinist - who shot to fame on 'America's Got Talent' - has admitted she couldn't quite believe it when she found out the musical superstar wanted to work with her on a new version of his hit 'All Of Me'.
She exclusively told BANG showbiz: "John is an incredible artist and such an amazing writer it was pretty mind-blowing when he reached out and asked to do a different version of 'All of Me'. That was pretty awesome."
As well as teaming up with John, the 28-year-old star has gone on to work with Jessie J on the brunette beauty's track 'Loud' from her latest album 'Sweet Talker', and Lindsey admits it was a surreal experience being able to collaborate with the star.
She added: "I love Jessie J, unfortunately she was in London and I was in LA so we couldn't actually meet but I worked with her producer.
"It was really cool because I've always loved Jessie J she's one of my favourite live performers so it was so cool to be able to record her album."
Lindsey is also set to go on tour with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and she is "so excited" about hitting the road with the 56-year-old star.
She said: "We haven't worked with him yet but we meet him right before we go on tour, I've been learning the music on my own but I'm so excited.
"His camp reached out and invited me to do it and it turned out it was perfect timing with my tour."

Lindsey Stirling continues the UK and Ireland Tour 2014 tour with Andrea at the following venues:

November 14th - O2 Arena, Dublin
November 18th - Echo Arena, Liverpool
November 20th - The 02, London
November 21st - LG Arena, Birmingham

Viewers will decide which 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!' contestants will face the "celebrity slammer".
A host of famous faces have arrived in Australia for the start of the ITV reality series - including former Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson, TV presenter Melanie Sykes and 'The Only Way Is Essex' star Gemma Collins - and half of them will be put in a jungle style jail as the action kicks off on Sunday (16.11.14).
Kian Egan - who was crowned King of the Jungle last year - told Phillip Schofield and Amanda Holden on 'This Morning': "The big surprise is the celebrities are going to be divided into two groups straight away. But the big difference is the public will decide their fate before they've even stepped foot into the jungle!
"So Group A and Group B - the public will decide which group they want to face the 'celebrity slammer', a jungle style jail."
In addition to facing a jail-style camp, one of the contestants in the unlucky group will also have to face a bushtucker trial - which will involve either a stomach-churning eating challenge or a death-defying stunt.
And despite admitting he thinks another two celebrities will be added to the line-up later on in the competition, Kian's confessed he's a fan of the contestant so far.
He said: "I think it's a great line-up. I think the big thing is there's obviously a good mix of characters, people who are sporty, some who aren't ... Others that are louder, quieter, political."
Completing the line-up are retired Premier League footballer Jimmy Bullard, Tinchy Stryder, 'Coronation Street' actor Craig Charles, Carl Fogarty, Vicki Michelle, model Nadia Forde and broadcaster Michael Buerk.

David Morrissey has led tributes to Warren Clarke.
The 50-year-old actor - who starred alongside Clarke in 2009 TV Movie 'Red Riding' - has taken to Twitter to pay tribute to the 'Dalziel and Pascoe' star after it was confirmed he passed away earlier today (12.11.14) following a "short illness".
David wrote: "So sad to hear about the death of Warren Clarke. He was a very special man/a great actor. We had wonderful times together on Red Riding. RIP (sic)."
A number of other celebrities have also taken to social media to pay their respects after the actor's agent confirmed he had "died peacefully in his sleep" aged 67.
Actor and director Richard E. Grant wrote on Twitter: "Shocked to hear that Warren Clarke has died. Worked with twice and shared a holiday in the Caribbean.Hilarious and irreverent. (sic)"
'Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps' actor Will Mellor also spoke of his sadness at hearing the news, saying: "RIP my good friend Warren Clarke!! So sad to here the news!! I can't believe it. Great man!! (sic)"
Warren - who was also known for his roles in 'A Clockwork Orange' and 'Down to Earth' - was a lifelong fan of Manchester City Football Club.
Writing on their official Twitter page, they said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Warren Clarke following sad news of the actor and mcfc fan's passing."
A statement released on behalf of his agent earlier today (12.11.14) reads: "The actor Warren Clarke died peacefully in his sleep on 12 November 2014, after a short illness.
"He will be greatly missed by his family and loved ones. At this time we ask that you respect their privacy in this time of grief."