Five years after Todd Phillips’ acclaimed Joker, the sequel to Arthur Fleck’s story has finally come to light at the Venice Film Festival, with the first screening of the sequel Joker: Folie à Deux.
The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, is participating in official competition at the film festival held in the Italian city.
During a press conference, the Napoleon actor spoke about his physical transformation for the second time, although he highlighted some differences from his experience in the 2009 film.
“This time it was a little more difficult,” Phoenix said, referring to the weight loss process required to play the iconic DC villain.
Although in the first film he lost 52 pounds (about 24 kg) by following a strict diet based mainly on salads and steamed vegetables, the challenge was complicated this time because the musical sequel incorporated dance components, which required more energy.
“I’m not going to talk about the specifics of the diet, because I don’t think anyone wants to hear that. But this time it felt a little more complicated because there were a lot of dance rehearsals, which I didn’t do last time,” he said.
The actor said her process this time was “safer” and she was advised by a nutritionist; but he also said she knew that because of her age, he should no longer push her body to the limit.
“I’m 49 years old now. I probably shouldn’t do this again. Maybe this is the end of it for me.”
On the other hand, Phoenix also admitted that his physical transformation was discussed frequently during the first Joker press tour, which left him somewhat frustrated.
“I know I was responsible for talking about it last time,” he admitted. “It’s a tough process, and then you become obsessive because you’re working so hard to get to a certain weight. So you can’t help but mention it, and then it’s like an actor is constantly talking about how much weight he’s lost.”
He added that he was “angry” at himself for bringing up the subject at the end of the promotion. “So this time I told myself, ‘I’m not going to do that.'” Focusing on his co-star, Joaquin Phoenix said Lady Gaga had also made changes in preparation to become Lee, a music therapist.
Focusing on his co-star, Joaquin Phoenix said Lady Gaga also took the plunge, making changes in preparation to become a music therapist.
“Stephanie also lost a lot of weight. I remember when I first met you in rehearsals and then you left, and when you came back, you had lost a lot of weight. It was really impressive,” he said. For her part, the singer and actress preferred not to go into the details of her physical process.
Joker: Folie à Deux is set for general release on October 3, 2024, and continues the story of Arthur Fleck, who is now living in Arkham State Hospital. The sequel has integrated musical sequences into the narrative, a decision that has sparked both curiosity and skepticism.
However, Phoenix said he trusted Phillips’ vision. “It’s a story that was meant to be told this way,” he said.
The actor was also asked at the press event about his recent decision to leave his project with Todd Haynes. Phoenix pulled out of the gay romance film just five days before filming was set to begin.
The actor refrained from giving specific details on the subject. He reasoned, “If I do that, I will just be sharing my opinion from my perspective, and the other creatives are not here to say their opinion, and so I don’t think it will be helpful.”
