Supervillain musical Joker: Folie A Deux helped Lady Gaga process her ‘private dark moments’

LOS ANGELES – Joker (2019) was an unusual entry in the superhero movie genre.

The deeply psychological origin story of the eponymous villain – a key character in the Batman universe – cared more about the mental collapse of its protagonist than big action scenes.

But the creative gamble paid off: The film grossed more than US$1 billion (S$1.29 billion) globally and picked up Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nominations, eventually winning Best Actor for its star Joaquin Phoenix, as well as Best Original Score.

Departing from convention yet again is the follow-up Joker: Folie A Deux, which opens in Singapore cinemas on Oct 3. And at its recent Los Angeles premiere, American writer-director Todd Phillips says it may not be the sequel fans expect.

For one thing, it incorporates musical elements, a move that has sparked curiosity and debate among fans.

And this time, the story dives into the psychosis of not one but two characters, with the French phrase in the title – which means “madness of two” – referring to a psychiatric condition where delusions spread from one person to another.

American actor Phoenix, 49, reprises his role as Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian and party clown who becomes the murderous villain known as Joker.

While awaiting trial for his headline-grabbing crimes, he is put in a mental asylum, where he forms a romantic connection with fellow inmate Harleen Quinzel, a character based on the DC Comics villain Harley Quinn.

She is played by 38-year-old American actress and pop star Lady Gaga who, along with Phoenix, sings and dances in the film.

The Poker Face (2008) and Bad Romance (2009) singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, compares this with her work on the musical drama A Star Is Born (2018), in which she and her co-star, American actor-director Bradley Cooper, 49, also sang on screen.

“My relationship with Bradley was totally different from the one with Joaquin, but there was definitely a musical element in both films, so it was really fun to bring all of my experience to the table,” says Lady Gaga, who has released a 13-track soundtrack album, Harlequin, to accompany Joker: Folie A Deux.

She found herself offering words of encouragement to the famously shy Phoenix, who also did his own vocals when he played the late American country music star Johnny Cash in the acclaimed biopic Walk The Line (2005).

“I reminded him that he can be just as raw with his vocals as he is with his acting,” says Lady Gaga, who won the Best Original Song Oscar for Shallow, the main ballad in A Star Is Born.

In portraying her character’s mental struggles in this film, the performer reveals that she confronted some of her own.

“Creatively exploring this music and this character was a really special experience.

“It was a navigation around some private dark moments in my life that I might not have really wanted to share, and this story was just the perfect place to put everything,” she explains.

This was not Lady Gaga’s first time going on a personal psychological journey for a role.

She did the same for the biographical crime drama House Of Gucci (2021), in which she played a socialite who hires a hitman to kill her former husband, the one-time head of the Italian fashion brand.

But although she had a psychotherapist helping her through that shoot, this time, the superstar found support elsewhere.

“On this movie, I was there with my wonderful team, and I was working closely with Todd and Joaquin every single day,” she says.

Introducing the film at the premiere, Phillips – who helmed the hit The Hangover comedy trilogy (2009 to 2013) – thanks Warner Bros studio “for taking such a bold swing on this movie, because it’s not necessarily the sequel you might expect”.

And he credits American co-writer Scott Silver, 59 – with whom he shared the screenwriting Oscar nomination for Joker – with helping him push the envelope with this genre-bending script.

“He said the only job of a creative is to work really hard and take risks, and that’s what we tried to do,” Phillips says.

Joker: Folie A Deux opens in Singapore cinemas on Oct 3.