Lady Gaga takes on her latest role in Joker: Folie à Deux, and opens up about the new challenge it brings. “It’s for sure,” Gaga told People when discussing the novelty of her role in the highly anticipated Joker sequel, which hits theaters on October 4.
“I really wanted to do something I’d never done before,” Gaga said of her portrayal of DC Comics villain Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn.
Joker: Folie à Deux stars Joaquin Phoenix, who reprises his role as Arthur Fleck, also known as the Joker. Directed by Todd Phillips, the sequel alternates between the grim reality of Gotham’s Arkham State Hospital and a series of musical, song-and-dance numbers that represent the chaotic madness shared by Harley and the Joker.
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“There’s a lot around identity and conflict in this film,” explains the star.
“For me, having a personality in my life as Gaga, I think I wanted to make it really based in reality because I definitely think it’s really complicated to have two identities. And I knew there was a real story there.
She explains that Harley’s “love and passion” for Arthur was both admiration and hatred. I think it was truthful and dishonest. I think it was really dangerous, and also completely peaceful.”
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Gaga reflects, “She was kind of in it all.” “She was like a very non-linear person – and I think we all are like that. Sometimes in storytelling, I think there’s a desire to make things make sense. And it was our enemy who was making this film.” By adopting Harley’s paradoxes, Gaga aimed to make her portrayal more authentic and real.
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Audiences can expect to leave the theater with lingering questions about Harley Quinn, as Folie à Deux focuses on the murder trial of Arthur Fleck following the events of Joker. Even Gaga herself admits that she did not completely separate from the character after the shooting of the film was completed. “I mean, I didn’t bring it home with me,” she clarifies, but adds, “You fall in love with the characters you play. I always have anyway. “Sometimes I have trouble leaving them.”
