After months of rumours, Joker 2, officially titled Joker: Folie à Deux, has its Harley Quinn in Lady Gaga, and director Todd Phillips couldn’t have chosen a better actor for the role. Margot Robbie is a fantastic Harley in Suicide Squad, and Kaley Cuoco adds a little something extra to her vocal performance in the Harley Quinn animated series, but Lady Gaga was born for the role, more so than anything she’s ever played before.
I mean, hasn’t she always felt like Gaga? I was harley quinn? Singer, dancer, actress and general enigma of the industry, Lady Gaga has been making headlines since she debuted with her first single ‘Just Dance’ in 2008. She is an icon, a person who often seems more like a caricature than a human being. , so the sheer appeal of his role as a legendary character is enough to get people’s attention. And if you consider that Harley Quinn traditionally has a Brooklyn accent and Lady Gaga is from New York (and frequently shows that he can already do what is basically a Harley imitation (opens in a new tab)), it’s hard to see someone else in the role.
Plus, Gaga has already proven that she can deliver an incredible performance on screen (she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in A Star Is Born) and that she’s willing to go to any lengths to get in the right mindset for a role. Before the Gucci House of 2021, she lived as his character for 18 months, often speaking with an Italian accent. Joaquin Phoenix took a similar approach when he was preparing for his role as Arthur Fleck in the original Joker; he followed a restrictive and controversial diet that caused him to lose more than 50 pounds. Now imagine the two of them together, both doing the entire Method with a capital M, and you can imagine the kind of performance they’ll be able to get out of each other.
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An important and surprising detail about Joker 2 is that the sequel will be a musical. It’s no wonder, then, that they wanted Gaga: her ability to dance, sing and act is evident, and my imagination is full of possibilities. The clip announcing Gaga’s role features slow-moving silhouettes of her and Phoenix dancing to a rendition of ‘Cheek to Cheek’ by Fred Astaire (opens in a new tab). Gaga-as-Harley is wearing what appears to be period-specific clothing, which would make sense since Astaire’s song debuted in the 1930s. Perhaps she is playing a version of Harley Quinn who is obsessed with the movies? ancient? Or one that randomly breaks into a song not unlike the Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series (opens in a new tab)?
There’s also a clear connection between the teaser and an iconic piece of Joker/Harley art. ‘Tango With Evil’ is a famous work by artist Alex Ross that was originally the cover of the Batman: Harley Quinn comic from 1999 (opens in a new tab). It is an homage to the work of 1920s artist JC Leyendecker, who often created artwork depicting men and women dancing. Margot Robbie and Jared Leto recreated the artwork in a deleted scene from Suicide Squad (opens in a new tab)and it certainly looks like Folie à Deux is paying homage to him.
When you consider the meaning of ‘folie à deux’, the theme of dancing together carries even more weight. It is defined as shared psychosis, or a shared delusional disorder in which two people (usually family members) suffer from identical or similar mental health disorders. the Early plot details for Joker 2 suggest the film will take place primarily in Arkham Asylum. so maybe the two of them are there together.
Joker 2 could very well depict Joker and Harley falling in love, bonding over their shared beliefs and states of mind. As such, the image of them dancing feels like they are united in their “madness”. The dance has already established itself as a major piece of Arthur’s narrative in the original film: he tries to dance with his mother while adopting the Joker persona, and dances exuberantly on the steps after fully accepting the new identity. of the. Harley and Joker dancing together is her way of expressing her true self, even if her truths are somewhat troubling.
Lady Gaga fits perfectly in this role. Harley’s flair for the dramatic will translate well: melodrama defines Lady Gaga’s career, from her 2009 Paparazzi Performance where he staged his own bloody death, to his recent turn as an old Hollywood bomb performing alongside Tony Bennett. She was made for the role of Harley Quinn in a Joker musical, and that’s it, puddin’.
Joker: Folie à Deux hits theaters on October 4, 2024. For more information, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies coming soon.
