The much-awaited sequel to 2019’s Joker takes a daring new path, diving into the realm of musicals. Joker: Folie à Deux picks up from where the first movie left off, but this time, the characters—Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and Harleen Quinzel (Lady Gaga)—express their emotions through music. In a recent conversation, Stefani Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga, explained how central music is in this sequel. According to her, it allows the characters to communicate in ways words simply can’t. “Music is used to give the characters a way to express what they need to say because the scene and just the dialogue is not enough,” Gaga said.
To capture this musical essence, Gaga came up with the idea of singing live on set, which Joaquin Phoenix wasn’t initially on board with. “Stefani early on was like, ‘We’re going to sing live,’ and I was like, ‘No, we’re not. You can sing live if you want,’” Phoenix admitted to IndieWire. Eventually, live singing became the chosen method, as it was the best way to capture the raw emotions that the characters demanded. “It was really the only way,” Phoenix added.
Harley Quinn and Joker aren’t portrayed as professional singers in the film. They are complex, troubled individuals and singing live, accompanied by a live pianist, helped keep their performances gritty and real. “Not only did we sing live, but every part of the recording was live. We didn’t sing to completed tracks or a click track,” Phoenix explained.
Lady Gaga, who is a highly-trained singer, had to take a different approach to this role. She intentionally let go of her polished technique to make her performance feel rougher and more authentic. “For me, it was a lot about unlearning technique, forgetting how to breathe properly, and allowing the song to emerge entirely from the character,” she explained.
Director Todd Phillips was inspired to add a musical element to the sequel after noticing Arthur Fleck’s connection to music in the first movie. He explained that Joker already had a “musicality to him” in the way he used rhythm and dance to express himself. “Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is almost a character in the first film,” Phillips added.
With that in mind, Phillips had the idea to reach out to Lady Gaga, knowing she could bring her musical expertise to the role of Harley Quinn. “We thought, what if we got Lady Gaga who actually brings music with her?” Phillips recalled. Gaga eventually joined the project, bringing her distinct vision for the iconic character.
Joker: Folie à Deux is set to hit theaters on October 4.
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