It’s a sequel to the 2019 film Joker, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the comic book supervillain. Both films were directed by Todd Phillips, and, this time around, Lady Gaga entered the fold onscreen as Joker’s girlfriend Lee, aka Harley Quinn.
So whether you’ve just seen the film, or are simply curious about all the chatter around it, here are 13 fascinating behind-the-scenes facts about Joker: Folie à Deux:
1.
The initial idea for a sequel came shortly after filming the first movie when Phoenix had a dream in which his character Arthur Fleck, aka Joker, successfully performs on stage.
2.
Phoenix and Gaga re-wrote parts of the script on set in real time.
3.
Lady Gaga wrote that waltz scene.
4.
Gaga had to learn to sing…badly.
5.
She even received encouragement to “sing poorly” from Phoenix.
6.
Harry Lawtey, who plays district attorney Harvey Dent, met Phoenix for the first time while shooting a scene.
7.
Lawtey didn’t know his Industry costar Ken Leung was also cast in Joker until days before filming.
8.
In fact, Lawtey’s “first piece of dialogue” in the film was spoken to Ken’s character.
9.
Lee only calls Joker by his real name, Arthur, once in the film, and it’s only after she’s decided to move on from him.
10.
Phillips cut a scene of Harley kissing a woman while walking into the courthouse.
11.
Harvey Dent’s origin as the Batman supervillain Two-Face begins in the film with the courthouse bomb explosion scene.
12.
When Arthur decides to don Joker’s makeup while representing himself in court, he notably doesn’t color his hair green.
13.
Finally, Justin Theroux almost played an actor who stars as Joker in the film’s TV movie subplot.