Lady Gaga Wanted a ‘Very Authentic’ Portrayal of Harley Quinn in ‘Joker 2’
Lady Gaga has been born a star but now, she’s transforming into DC comic book character Harley Quinn for “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
The Oscar and Grammy winner teased her upcoming role alongside fellow Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to 2019 Batman prequel “Joker.” As Phoenix reprises his titular role as Arthur Fleck AKA the Joker, Gaga will play Harley from the “Batman the Animated Series” origins, as a bit different from Margot Robbie’s version of the character.
More from IndieWire
“You know my version of Harley is mine and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters,” Gaga told Access Hollywood. “I’ve never done anything like I’ve done in this movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new and really fun.”
Margot Robbie brought Harley to life first in “Suicide Squad,” followed by spinoff “Birds of Prey” and quasi-reboot “The Suicide Squad.” However, Harley’s origin story of being the psychiatrist who treats the Joker in Arkham Asylum was only hinted at in a deleted montage scene from Robbie’s “Suicide Squad” version, with Jared Leto as the Joker.
Robbie previously praised Gaga’s casting as Harley, telling MTV News in 2022 that hopefully more iterations of Harley are brought to the big screen.
“It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning that all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters — the way Macbeth or Batman, always gets passed from great actor to great actor,” Robbie said. “Someone gets to do their Batman, or someone gets to do their Macbeth. It’s such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think [Gaga] will do something incredible with it.”
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is directed by Todd Phillips. The film will have musical elements á la Francis Ford Coppola’s “One From the Heart,” and centers around Arkham Asylum and its inhabitants. Zazie Beetz, “Banshees of Inisherin” Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and “Industry” breakout Harry Lawtey appear in the film, which will be released October 4 in theaters.
Best of IndieWire
A History of Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 17 Cannes Films, from 'Mektoub' to 'Antichrist' to 'Caligula'
The Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 54 Films the Director Wants You to See
Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
