Joaquin Phoenix Reveals Singing Tips from Lady Gaga

Joaquin Phoenix, star of “Joker: Folie A Deux”, shared some advice he received from Lady Gaga about singing for the film. Speaking to Empire Magazine, Phoenix discussed the highly-anticipated sequel to the comic book movie. In the first “Joker” movie, his character, Arthur Fleck, is far from a professional performer. However, this time around, Phoenix is stepping out of his comfort zone in a big way.

Gaga’s encouragement played a significant role. Phoenix noted, “Gaga was always very encouraging of just, ‘Go with what you feel, it’s fine’. For somebody who’s not a performer in that way, it can be… uncomfortable to do that, but also very exciting.” Given that Phoenix isn’t a classically trained singer, Gaga’s support was invaluable.

One of the standout features of the first “Joker” movie was its “realistic” feel. Arthur suddenly becoming a Broadway-style singer might have clashed with that tone. Phoenix humorously recalled, “I do seem to remember [Gaga] spitting up coffee the first time I sang, so that felt good, that was exciting and made me feel confident.”

“It was important to protect that with poor phrasing and occasional bum notes,” Phoenix continued. “Arthur grew up hearing his mother play these songs on the radio. He’s not a singer, and he shouldn’t sound like a professional singer. He should sound like somebody that’s taking a shower and just bursts out into song.”

Maintaining the same vibe from the first “Joker” was crucial for director Todd Phillips. Before San Diego Comic-Con concluded, Phillips also spoke to Empire about keeping Arthur consistent with the previous movie. While the Clown Prince of Crime eventually becomes a major nemesis for Batman, Phillips emphasized that his version of the character isn’t a criminal mastermind—at least, not yet.

“We would never do that,” Phillips stated. “Because Arthur clearly is not a criminal mastermind. He was never that.”

Phillips added, “Arthur has become this symbol to people. This unwilling, unwitting symbol now paying for the crimes of the first film, but at the same time finding the only thing he ever wanted, which was love. That’s always what he’s been about, even though he’s been pushed and pulled in all these directions. So we tried to just make the most pure version of that.”

Do you think Phoenix will have a chart-topping duet with Gaga?