Joaquin Phoenix 'Encouraged' Lady Gaga to 'Sing Poorly' inJoker 2: 'She Felt Naked Without' Her Vibrato

Mar. 15, 2025

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix inJoker: Folie à Deux(2024).Photo:Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

Lady Gagahad a unique challenge inJoker: Folie à Deux.The singer-actress, 38, has a voice and musical talent that has earned her 13Grammy Awards, among other accolades. But to play Harley Quinn in the upcomingJokersequel, she had to go a different direction, said costarJoaquin Phoenix.“I encouraged her to sing poorly,” Phoenix, 49, toldVoguein a cover profile of Gaga for the magazine’s October 2024 issue. “I remember asking her to sing without her vibrato.““She has a beautiful vibrato — too beautiful. I think she felt naked without it,” he added. “But as soon as she moved away from technique she unlocked her character’s voice.”“I worked really hard on that, kind of trying to undo all my technique,” Gaga told the magazine. “I mean, Ally Maine inA Star Is Bornis a singer and it’s a movie about people who make music. That is not what this film is about at all.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Lady Gaga on the October 2024 cover ofVogue.Ethan James Green/VogueAside from musical challenges, Gaga toldVogueshe “had a different experience” with her character than the Harley “people know from the ether of pop culture.““I had a differentexperience creating her, namelymyexperience with mania and chaos inside — for me, it creates a quietness,” Gaga explained. “Sometimes women are labeled as these overly emotional creatures and when we are overwhelmed we areerraticorunhinged.““But I wonder if when things become so broken from reality, when we get pushed too far in life, what if it makes you …quiet?” she added.TheBorn This Wayartist went on to say she “worked from a sense-memory perspective” on the film — in essence, “What does it feel like to walk through the world and be …braced,in an intense way. And what happens when you cover up all of the complexities beneath the surface?”The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!From directorTodd Phillips,Joker: Folie à Deuxrecently had its world premiere at theVenice Film Festivalon Sept. 4, where it received an 11-minute standing ovation.During a press conference earlier that day, Phoenix said Gaga “was like, ‘We’re gonna sing live,’ and I was like, ‘No, we’re not — you can sing live, if you’d like.’ And ultimately we did it, and it was really the only way.“And “Not only did we sing live,” the Oscar winner continued, “but every part of the recording was live.““We didn’t sing to completed tracks or a click track. We were working with a pianist on set, so each take was a different version of the song and of singing the song, so that felt really exciting and created an energy that was necessary,” Phoenix said.Joker: Folie à Deuxis in theaters Oct. 4.

Lady Gagahad a unique challenge inJoker: Folie à Deux.

The singer-actress, 38, has a voice and musical talent that has earned her 13Grammy Awards, among other accolades. But to play Harley Quinn in the upcomingJokersequel, she had to go a different direction, said costarJoaquin Phoenix.

“I encouraged her to sing poorly,” Phoenix, 49, toldVoguein a cover profile of Gaga for the magazine’s October 2024 issue. “I remember asking her to sing without her vibrato.”

“She has a beautiful vibrato — too beautiful. I think she felt naked without it,” he added. “But as soon as she moved away from technique she unlocked her character’s voice.”

“I worked really hard on that, kind of trying to undo all my technique,” Gaga told the magazine. “I mean, Ally Maine inA Star Is Bornis a singer and it’s a movie about people who make music. That is not what this film is about at all.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Lady Gaga on the October 2024 cover ofVogue.Ethan James Green/Vogue

Ethan James Green/Vogue

Aside from musical challenges, Gaga toldVogueshe “had a different experience” with her character than the Harley “people know from the ether of pop culture.”

“I had a differentexperience creating her, namelymyexperience with mania and chaos inside — for me, it creates a quietness,” Gaga explained. “Sometimes women are labeled as these overly emotional creatures and when we are overwhelmed we areerraticorunhinged.”

“But I wonder if when things become so broken from reality, when we get pushed too far in life, what if it makes you …quiet?” she added.

TheBorn This Wayartist went on to say she “worked from a sense-memory perspective” on the film — in essence, “What does it feel like to walk through the world and be …braced,in an intense way. And what happens when you cover up all of the complexities beneath the surface?”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

From directorTodd Phillips,Joker: Folie à Deuxrecently had its world premiere at theVenice Film Festivalon Sept. 4, where it received an 11-minute standing ovation.

During a press conference earlier that day, Phoenix said Gaga “was like, ‘We’re gonna sing live,’ and I was like, ‘No, we’re not — you can sing live, if you’d like.’ And ultimately we did it, and it was really the only way.”

And “Not only did we sing live,” the Oscar winner continued, “but every part of the recording was live.”

“We didn’t sing to completed tracks or a click track. We were working with a pianist on set, so each take was a different version of the song and of singing the song, so that felt really exciting and created an energy that was necessary,” Phoenix said.

Joker: Folie à Deuxis in theaters Oct. 4.

source: people.com