Joaquin Phoenix is apparently convinced that his new vocation as a rapper will eclipse his movie career.

The former actor has left bafflement and bemusement in his wake since announcing his plans to quit acting and concentrate on making music.

But despite criticism and claims the move is just a hoax, Joaquin insists he's deadly serious about never appearing before the cameras again.

He claims his rap career "has been brewing for a long time" but it took his Oscar-nominated role as Johnny Cash in Walk The Line to give him the final push.

He explains, "I’ve always loved music and never really played anything, and, after Walk The Line, I kind of learned to play guitar and having that sense of performing, that certainly opened the door for me for music.

"I think now I would just like the music to speak for itself. I don’t think we’ll ever get to the reason, 'Oh, that’s why he quit and this is why he’s doing this.' I don’t fully understand it myself. I’ve always followed my heart and felt what was true at the time and that’s what I’m doing now.

"I’m not out to sell records. I’m experiencing something and it’s what I feel. I feel like everything in my life is leading up to this and suddenly acting doesn’t seem like that’s a big part of what was important in my life.

"I imagine, when I look back on my life, acting will be just a very small portion of something that I did, and I think music will be the dominant theme in my life."

Joaquin - whose bizarre performance on Letterman caused a stir recently -  admits he has been taken aback by the fuss his decision to quit acting caused: "I didn’t know that anyone was gonna care. I felt that it was an obligation to tell my fans what I was doing, moving in another direction."

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