With Friday’s release of “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Lady Gaga will introduce audiences to Lee Quinzel, her version of the Joker’s love interest Harley Quinn from the DC comic books.
In an interview with CNN, Gaga explained just how much she had to change her typical approach to performing for the movie, which does double duty as a a somewhat pared-down musical and a dark love story between Joker, a.k.a. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), and Gaga’s character.
“All the showmanship, all the bravado of being on stage, all the things that I do as Gaga that come naturally to me, I tried to completely do away with those things,” Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, said.
The 13-time Grammy-winning singer, who also won an Oscar for her original song “Shallow” from the 2018 film “A Star is Born,” even unlearned singing techniques for her latest role.
“I tried to breathe incorrectly,” she shared, later adding that she “tried not to do any vocal placement in my throat the way that I would when I’m on stage.”
The result is a character with a breathy and understated singing technique who matches Phoenix’s similar singing style in their duets. They sync up in other ways too, as she feels quite at home with violence and arson alongside the at-times homicidal Joker, as seen in the movie.
“Folie à Deux” is the sequel to 2019’s “Joker,” which saw Phoenix take home the Academy Award for best lead actor. The movie made over $1 billion at the global box office, which in part paved the way for this somewhat unlikely sequel.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is in theaters on Friday. It’s produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, which like CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.