The 2019 Joker movie was a surprising success that grossed over $1 billion at the box office even with a R-rating. Though it was believed by some to be a stand-alone effort, a sequel was eventually greenlit, with Joker 2 aka Joker: Folie À Deux being released in 2024. Unfortunately it didn’t see the same level of success, with plenty of fans voicing their complaints online, and the movie ultimately flopped at the box office. Now Joker: Folie À Deux star Lady Gaga has responded to the backlash.
Lady Gaga, who portrays Harley Quinn in the film alongside Joaquin Phoenix as the titular Joker, was a divisive choice to play the character, as she followed the footsteps of Margot Robbie’s more stylized take on the character from the DCEU. Nevertheless, many fans were open to seeing her step into the role, with many hopeful that she would match the dark and gritty world established in the first Joker movie.
Ultimately, the film went in a very different direction, which made Gaga’s involvement make more sense. While speaking with Rolling Stone, she opened up about the backlash the sequel has since received, and she gives an in-depth response on the matter:
“I wasn’t, like, unfazed. It’s funny, I’m almost nervous to share my reaction. But the truth is, when it first started happening, I started laughing. Because it was just getting so unhinged.”
“When it takes a while for something to kind of dissipate, that can be a little bit more painful. Only because I put a lot of myself into it,” she began. Gaga also revealed that her role inspired the music video for her 2024 single, “Disease.”
“There was a ton of negativity around Joker,” Gaga continued.
“And I think I was feeling artistically rebellious at the time. I put so much of that energy into that video. I was in that place, you know, I was like, ‘I’ll show you who I am, and I’ll show you what this fight is like.'”
It’s unknown who might take on the role of Harley Quinn next for DC, though after the support Margot Robbie received during her run and the backlash Lady Gaga has faced, it will be an important decision to be made by DC Studios. As such, we’ll have to see what happens as we approach that part of the franchise.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional DC news as we have it – including any updates related to Harley Quinn. For now, it’s unfortunate that Joker: Folie À Deux wasn’t the same success as its predecessor, but it’s always possible that it could become a cult classic in the future.