Lady Gaga Wanted to Be Called ‘Lee’ on ‘Joker 2’ Set, Says DP: After That, ‘Our Whole Connection Changed’

Lady Gaga is up to her usual Method acting tricks again, again, according to “Joker: Folie à Deux” cinematographer Lawrence Sher.

In a recent podcast interview circulated online, Sher said Lady Gaga’s assistant director asked that she be called “Lee” during the production, and that suddenly changed the dynamic of the set.

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“I didn’t know Stefani at all,” he said, referring to the “Fame Monster” icon’s born name, “Stefani Germanotta.” “Strangely, I felt like I never even met her, even during the makeup/hair tests. Because again, maybe it was my philosophy of not trying to get in their space. And then I remember for a week, being like, god, I feel like we are disconnecting. Not even connecting. We are like on opposites. And I would say to my crew, ‘Jesus, I can’t, like, crack it. She either hates me or we hate each other. There’s something weird going on here.’ I barely said anything, except I would say, ‘Stefani, this is where your second team was, minor little things,’ and then the AD at one point said, ‘Oh you know, Stef would like if you just called her Lee on set.’ And I was like, oh, 100 percent, and I literally said, the next thing I said, was something ‘Lee,’ and it was like everything changed. From that point on, it was like she was… our whole connection changed. I was like, alright, cool.”

Todd Phillips’ sequel to the 2019 blockbuster and Oscar-winning smash “Joker” is set to be released in theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 4, 2024.

What “Lee” means, who knows. Short for “HarLEY Quinn” surely. Lady Gaga has long been vocal about her method set practices, from staying in her Italian accent as Patrizia Reggiani for Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” to also staying in character “for years” as Ally Maine for Bradley Cooper’s 2018 “A Star Is Born.” In “Joker: Folie à Deux,” Lady Gaga plays Joker’s love interest Harley Quinn. (Check out a first look at her character here.) Joaquin Phoenix reprises his Oscar-winning role as the clown prince of crime.

Plot details on the sequel to the 2019 film remain scarce. It’s said to be a musical film centered around the Arkham Asylum and its inhabitants — with cast including Zazie Beetz (returning from her seemingly hallucinated Arthur Fleck neighbor from the 2019 film), “Banshees of Inisherin” Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener in a secret role, Jacob Lofland as an Arkham Asylum inmate, “Industry” breakout Harry Lawtey, and more.

Lady Gaga was a hoped-for Best Actress nominee in 2021 for “House of Gucci,” revealing on the press trail ad infinitum her training in the Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg methods. She did not get the nomination. She is clearly gunning for awards glory again with her performance in the “Joker” sequel. She has an Oscar for Best Original Song for “A Star Is Born” breakout track “Shallow,” and was up in the category last year for “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick.”

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