Joaquin Phoenix is known for his quirky, intense, and sometimes downright bonkers performances. But during the filming of Joker: Folie à Deux, it wasn’t just his acting that stood out—it was a very particular request he had for Lady Gaga. And no, it wasn’t to show up in a meat dress (though honestly, it wouldn’t have been that weird for the Joker universe).
If you haven’t heard, the Joker sequel is a musical. Yes, you read that right. The film industry collectively decided to throw logic out the window, and here we are, eagerly awaiting Gotham’s most chaotic villain to break into song like he’s auditioning for America’s Got Talent.
In a recent interview, Joaquin let slip that he and Lady Gaga weren’t just lip-syncing—no, these two were belting it out live. Gaga, naturally, was ready to unleash her inner pop diva, but Joaquin had other plans.
“I asked her to sing… badly,” Joaquin revealed, probably with a straight face because that’s how he rolls. Yes, that’s right. The man who famously danced on stairs in a full Joker get-up just casually asked one of the best singers in the world to channel her inner karaoke-night disaster.
“I remember asking her to sing without vibrato,” he told Vogue, as if requesting someone to stop being good at their job is a totally normal thing to do. “She has a beautiful vibrato—too beautiful. It was just… too much talent. I couldn’t handle it. I think she felt naked without it. But hey, when she stopped being amazing, we found her character’s voice.” Basically, Gaga had to sing like she forgot she was Gaga.
Gaga, who is always up for a challenge (see: every outfit she’s ever worn), took it in stride. She said she worked “really hard” to undo everything that made her a world-class performer. “I had to forget I was Lady Freakin’ Gaga,” she mused. “This isn’t A Star Is Born, where everyone’s making music and feeling feelings. This is a musical about literal insanity. It’s like I had to reverse all my talent and channel a tone-deaf child.”
Speaking of children, Gaga also dropped another very intriguing nugget. “There are moments in the film where I’m playing an adult woman who sings like a little girl,” she explained, which makes you wonder if we’re watching a Joker sequel or Toddlers & Tiaras: Gotham Edition. According to her, the character has this bizarre childlike immaturity, which, honestly, just feels like a regular Tuesday for the Joker.
So, if you’re gearing up to see Joker: Folie à Deux, expect a wild ride of live singing, Joaquin’s usual brooding, and Gaga doing her best impression of a kid who found a microphone at a birthday party. The movie hits theaters on October 4, and frankly, the world might not be ready.
