Phoenix Confronts Fan at Nightclub Performance

According to the Associated Press, actor-turned-rapper Joaquin Phoenix leapt off stage and had words with a fan that was heckling him at the LIV nightclub in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Security guards pulled Phoenix back on stage and escorted him out of the area.

It's unclear if the incident and Phoenix's new career as a hip-hop performer are real or jokes, but actor Casey Affleck, who is also Phoenix's brother-in-law, filmed the entire incident.

The nightclub was filled with hundreds of people after the doors to the club opened at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night. Phoenix appeared on stage just before 2 a.m., smoking and dressed in a dark suit and sneakers.

Phoenix then began rapping to a beat played by the DJ and nodding along with the music, however, most of his lyrics were indecipherable. He then lashed out at someone close to the stage.

Phoenix said, "We have a (double-expletive) in the audience." He then dove into the crowd. It is unknown if any punches were thrown.

Jorge Lledo, 30, of Miami Beach, said, "I saw the guy screaming at Joaquin, and Joaquin just came down."

Security guards then converged on the area, dragging Phoenix away from the man.

The unusual scene struck many of the audience members as the latest prank in a long series of pranks staged by Phoenix. Affleck, an Oscar-nominated actor is profiling Phoenix's career switch.

Luis Gendron, 23, of Miami, said of Affleck, "(Affleck's) camera was rolling the whole time, so it makes me think he has ulterior motives."

Gendron said of Phoenix, "He knows the game he's playing, and he's good at it."

In October, a publicist for Phoenix said he was making the career change. In January, he performed at a Las Vegas nightclub and the next month he made an odd appearance on David Letterman's Late Show. Actor Ben Stiller parodied that episode at the Academy Awards.