MANILA, Philippines — "Joker: Folie à Deux" director Todd Phillips and leading man Joaquin Phoenix had nothing but words of esteem for Lady Gaga, who portrays a new live-action version of comic book character Harley Quinn in the movie.
Phoenix and Phillips return from the Oscar-winning film from 2019, which sees an incarcerated Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) face judgement, but finds at his side Gaga's Harleen "Lee" Quinzel.
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In a featurette for the upcoming film called "My Name is Lee," Gaga shared that she managed to see the first movie before it released, calling it a special experience.
The early viewing might have been because Phillips was a producer on the 2018 movie "A Star Is Born," where Gaga earned her own Oscar.
"She easily slipped into that world. It's not like she's trying to be Harley Quinn from the comic books. She's Lee in this world," Phillips said.
Phoenix said he found Gaga to be "without ego" and "a fierce determination to get right in," taking note Gaga understood there was a rawness to Lee which not a lot of actors are comfortable with.
"It brought all of that rough and tough energy and how big these dreams were and how far they would fall," Gaga ended.
The singer-actress recently released "Harlequin," a 13-track companion album to "Joker: Folie à Deux" featuring fresh tracks and newly recorded versions of classic songs in the movie.
"Joker: Folie a Deux" premieres in Philippine cinemas on October 2. — Video from Warner Bros. Philippines' YouTube channel
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