Although the movie Joker: Folie à Deux does have quite a few scenes featuring music, Lady Gaga, who plays Harley Quinn, doesn't think of it as a musical at all.
Gaga said at a press conference arranged at the Venice Film Festival:
"It’s very different. The music is a way to give the characters a way to express themselves because the dialogue wasn’t enough."
Joker: Folie à Deux, a film that will explore the psychological dynamics of Arthur Fleck's transformation into the Joker, has a different approach compared to regular musicals, where the music tells the story. Here, the tunes are more about feelings, particularly Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck. Todd Phillips joined Gaga's assertion at the press conference when he said the music came out of the story.
He said that Arthur Fleck was very musical even in the first movie, courtesy of the haunting score by Hildur Guðnadóttir. This time, they wanted to look more deeply into the music inside Arthur's severely troubled mind.
Why is Joker: Folie à Deux not a traditional musical?
Lady Gaga doesn't want to refer to Joker: Folie à Deux as a musical. Rather than the characters bursting out into song à la traditional musicals, the music plays more inside their heads.
Director Todd Phillips described the movie as a "dystopian musical," although he clarified that the music serves as something more than just entertainment. Rather, it encapsulates all the inner struggles of characters like Arthur Fleck.
For authenticity, both Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga wanted to sing live for the musical scenes. It's less about flashy dance routines and catchy songs, and more about using music to unwrap a character's psyche. That is probably why Gaga and Phillips shy away from branding it as a straight-up musical.
The vision behind the music of Joker: Folie à Deux
Adding the musical element to Joker: Folie à Deux was not an out-of-the-hat decision. As Phillips explained, he was inclined to insert musical parts while still working on the first Joker. Arthur Fleck's love for dancing and the score by Guðnadóttir set the stage for this new vibe.
But it wasn't until Phoenix had a dream one night of performing as the Joker that it all came together.
The actor shared,
"I had this dream that I was performing as Joker doing songs, and I just called Todd because I thought there might be something there."
The idea wasn't wholly sold to both of them at first. Over time, though, they pieced together that it would work if they handled it right. The main thing was that the music had to be for the characters, about their journeys, and not just some flashy addition. Having Lady Gaga attached helped ace this concept.
She is known for her performances and dedication to music. This lent an organic feel to the musical numbers. Phillips and Phoenix were in awe of how she drew from her character's emotions through her songs, not making the pieces seem out of place.
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Joker: Folie à Deux will be released in North America on October 4, 2024.
Keep an eye on SoapCentral for updates on Joker: Folie à Deux.
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