Why Joaquin Phoenix Told Lady Gaga To 'Sing Poorly' In 'Joker 2'

In the highly anticipated sequel to "Joker," Joaquin Phoenix gave Lady Gaga an intriguing piece of advice: "Sing poorly."

The 38-year-old actress, who boasts a voice that has earned her 13 Grammy Awards, had to step out of her comfort zone for her role as Harley Quinn.

As fans eagerly await the release of "Joker: Folie à Deux," Joaquin Phoenix hinted at a unique approach to the sequel's character dynamics and Lady Gaga's musical elements.

When filming the highly anticipated sequel, Lady Gaga “encouraged" Joaquin Phoenix "to sing live” in their scenes.

“And I encouraged her to sing poorly. I remember asking her to sing without her vibrato," he told Vogue. "She has a beautiful vibrato—too beautiful. I think she felt naked without it. But as soon as she moved away from technique she unlocked her character’s voice.”

This marks only Lady Gaga’s third leading role, and as she puts it, “the biggest movie I’ve ever been a part of.”

"She surrounds herself with incredibly powerful people,” director Todd Phillips noted. “I mean, starting out opposite Bradley Cooper, then Adam Driver [in 'House of Gucci'], who is a powerhouse, and now Joaquin, another powerhouse. She’s fully committed—she went all in.”

“She’s sort of touched, in a way,” he continued. “She can be really hard on herself as a performer. She takes it seriously. But she’s magic, which sounds so simple, but that is actually the only way to describe her abilities.”

When a script was available, Phillips sent it to Lady Gaga’s agent, and soon enough, Phillips found himself at his home in Malibu, enjoying wine with a view of the Pacific.

A few weeks later, he returned with Phoenix, whom Gaga says she had never met before. “That was really wonderful,” Phillips said.

According to the director, they spent hours together, and as they were driving to dinner, Phoenix suggested, “We should invite her, don’t you think?” And while Phillips thought it was a good idea, he doubted she would come. “For some reason, Joaquin is just... a guy, but she’s Lady Gaga.”

He gave her a ring anyway. “She said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be five minutes behind you.’ She is the most uncomplicated-complicated person I’ve ever met. And that’s what makes her beauty as an artist, too.”

Lady Gaga also spoke with Variety about the sequel, telling them, “Todd took a very big swing with this whole concept and with the script, giving the sequel to ‘Joker’ this audacity and complexity."

"There’s music, there’s dance, it’s a drama, it’s also a courtroom drama, it’s a comedy, it’s happy, it’s sad," she added. " It’s a testament to [Todd] as a director, that he would rather be creative than just tell a traditional story of love.”

The actor discussed his approach to the musical elements needed for his role as Arthur Fleck in the sequel, a character he first portrayed in the 2019 film, in an interview with Empire magazine.

"It was important to protect that with poor phrasing and occasional bum notes. Arthur grew up hearing his mother play these songs on the radio. He’s not a singer, and he shouldn’t sound like a professional singer. He should sound like somebody that’s taking a shower and just bursts out into song," the actor explained.

Phoenix added that the support he received from his costar, Lady Gaga was "encouraging" and helpful. “Gaga was always very encouraging of just, ‘Go with what you feel, it’s fine’. For somebody who’s not a performer in that way, it can be... uncomfortable to do that, but also very exciting," he said.

Alongside Lady Gaga and Phoenix, the film also stars Emmy nominee Zazie Beetz and Oscar nominees Catherine Keener and Brendan Gleeson.

Oscar-nominated director Todd Phillips, who also produced the 2019 film "A Star Is Born" with Lady Gaga, helms the project. He directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Silver.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" will be released in theaters on October 4.