The words “Good Bye” were penned on the actor’s knuckles at a premiere Saturday night for his latest film, “Two Lovers,” and Phoenix confirmed a surprise announcement he made last week: He’s giving up movies.

“I think it’s just moving on. It’s rediscovering something else,” said Phoenix, 34, said in an interview with Associated Press Television News before Saturday’s American Film Institute festival, which also premiered “Che,” starring Benicio Del Toro.

“Two Lovers” is his last film, he said. His publicist had disclosed Friday that the actor intended to focus on music.

Phoenix first mentioned his decision to “Extra” early last week at a fundraiser in San Francisco. He abruptly ended that interview after the reporter wondered whether he was joking about giving up acting for music.

Phoenix learned to play guitar and did his own singing to play country legend Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line,” which earned him an Academy Award nomination. His publicist also said Phoenix has been directing music videos in recent years.

“It’s like greener pastures, you know what I mean?” Phoenix said Saturday. “And so, I’m just going to try and like, I’ll just be doing the other thing. … Hopefully, I will emotionally impact you with that, as well.”

“Two Lovers” stars Phoenix as a heartbroken man torn between a needy, neurotic neighbor (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the sensible woman (Vinessa Shaw) his parents want him to marry. The film, due in theaters early next year, was directed by James Gray, with whom Phoenix also worked on “We Own the Night” and “The Yards.”

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“Extra” caught up with actor Joaquin Phoenix, and the “Walk the Line” star dropped a shocker — is he really leaving show biz?!

Yes! Last night at the Paul Newman benefit, the Oscar nominee told “Extra,” “I want to take this opportunity… also to give you the exclusive and just talk a little bit about the fact that this will be my last performance as an actor… I’m not doing films anymore.”

“Extra’s” Jerry Penacoli, shocked by the news, further probed Joaquin. “Are you serious?” Phoenix, who was curiously being followed by his own camera crews, reiterated, “Yeah. I’m working on my music. I’m done. I’ve been through that.”

Actor Casey Affleck, present during the admission, tells “Extra”, “I don’t think he’s kidding. He’s got music and stuff.”

Today, “Extra” contacted Phoenix’s rep for clarification and got this response: “That is what he told me.”

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WENN

Joaquin Phoenix was forced to call in sick to the Cannes Film Festival.

The actor, 33, missed the Monday premiere of his movie Two Lovers after doctors told him he couldn’t fly because of his illness.

“Joaquin has the stomach flu,” his rep, Susan Patricola, tells PEOPLE. “He had his dog boarded, his tux in hand but couldn’t even sit on the plane. He did go to the hospital to get hydrated, hoping he could get on the plane but he didn’t stay there. He was so sick – and so sorry he couldn’t be there with everyone.”

Phoenix was due to promote his drama Two Lovers at the festival. The film’s director, James Gray, told reporters Monday that Phoenix wanted to make the trip to France, but he advised him to go to the doctor.

“He wanted to come,” Gray told reporters. “I said ‘No, go to the doctor and see what he says.’ Sadly he followed my advice and they put him in the hospital.”

Gray praised Phoenix’s performance, calling him “fantastic” opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.

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Actor Joaquin Phoenix, who played Johnny Cash on the big screen, is cutting an album with Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess, Billboard.com has learned. But whether the set will be released remains unclear.

According to U.K.-born Burgess, who has lived in Los Angeles for several years, the album came about after Phoenix learned to play guitar in preparation for his role in the 2005 film “Walk the Line,” for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

“Once he learned guitar, he found that he had quite a lot of demons inside himself that he wanted to expel through music,” says Burgess, who has been mixing the record alongside Alan McGee, the Charlatans’ manager and former head of U.K. independent label Creation Records.

But it seems that the perfectionism that has brought Phoenix acclaim as an actor could prevent the record from ever seeing the light of day.

“All the tracks that me and Alan worked with him on were brilliant,” says Burgess. “But I think he just keeps scrapping everything or redoing everything. I’m sad to say that I think it’s one of those records that may never come out, to be honest with you.”

“It’s an ongoing thing,” he continues. “I’m trying to get Alan to force him to put it out at the moment, but I don’t know whether it will (get released).”

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WENN

Here’s Joaquin Phoenix on the cover of Nylon magazine’s winter 2008 issue. He’s sexy, what do you think?