Lady Gaga Pledges Devotion to Joaquin Phoenix in New ‘Joker 2’ Clip

Warner Bros. has released an exclusive clip from the much-anticipated drama, Joker: Folie à Deux. The 60-second video features Lady Gaga‘s Harley Quinn visiting an emaciated Arthur Fleck, or Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who is in a mental institution. Before she leaves, she pulls out a red lipstick and smears a clownish grin, eyebrows, and nose on the disgraced Joker.

“This is going to be good for us,” Gaga says after she’s asked to leave. “Now I can be at your trial every day. I can see you every day until you get out.”

Joker: Folie à Deux picks up two years after the original film. It finds Arthur spending his time at Arkham, a psych ward, while awaiting trial following his savage killing of talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). As he struggles with his dual identity, he meets his love match in Harleen “Lee” Quinzel or Harley Quinn.

During a Venice Film Festival press conference for the Joker sequel, Phoenix revealed that he lost about 50 pounds to play the titular role, sticking to a diet of lettuce and steamed vegetables, Variety reported. Phoenix didn’t delve into the specifics of his eating habits, but did note that dieting “felt a bit more complicated,” because Joker: Folie à Deux is more or less a jukebox musical.

“There was so much dance rehearsal that we were doing,” Phoenix said during the conference. “So it felt a bit more difficult, but it is safe. But you’re right, I’m now 49, I probably shouldn’t do this again. This is probably it for me.”

Gaga also “transformed” into her character by losing weight, she said at the conference, in an effort to “hone in every kind of detail.” The film’s director Todd Phillips also shared in a Variety cover the complex process of rehearsing and recording the film’s singing numbers. Several takes were mashed into a complete song, which was a “nightmare” to edit. The process was essential to develop the musical, the director said.

“Particularly for Joaquin, so much of it is about feeling the moment as you do it,” Phillips said. “You can’t decide that in a sound studio three weeks before you show up to shoot it.” 

The film arrives Oct. 4.

From Rolling Stone US.