Lady Gaga On How Michael Polansky Helped With 'Dark Role' In 'Joker 2'

Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is set to portray one of pop culture’s most iconic characters, Harley Quinn, in the eagerly awaited sequel to "Joker," alongside Joaquin Phoenix, who will return as Arthur Fleck.

Taking on such a significant role inevitably comes with its challenges, but fortunately for Lady Gaga, her fiancé, Michael Polansky, has been there to support her through the “dark role.”

Lady Gaga has expressed her excitement about bringing a fresh perspective to Harley Quinn, but she also acknowledges that the dark role took a toll on her during filming. Fortunately, she found solace in her fiancé, Michael Polansky, who was her rock throughout the entire process.

"I always tried every night that I went home to leave Harley at work," Gaga told E! News. "We would make dinner every night after filming. I tried for sure. But sometimes, the darkness of the movie would stay with me, or sometimes the scene can stay with you. But I really tried to drop it."

The couple first crossed paths in 2019, thanks to Gaga’s mother, Cynthia Germanotta. The co-founder of the Born This Way Foundation, which Gaga established in 2012 to promote youth mental health, met Polansky through their shared philanthropic endeavors.

“My mom met him and she said to me, ‘I think I just met your husband,’ and I said, ‘I’m not ready to meet my husband!’ I could never have imagined that my mom…found the most perfect person for me?” she told Vogue of her new romance.

The "Joker: Folie à Deux" star recently revealed how her fiancé has been the ideal partner in crime while she worked on her latest studio album, "Harlequin."

“Michael is so brilliant in the way that he works,” she told E! News at the Los Angeles premiere of "Joker." “And he never ceases to amaze me. I’ve watched him in so many facets of business, in science and biotech, in philanthropy, and like somehow he’s also magic with music.”

“We have this amazing creative bond, and making 'Harlequin' with him was just completely special in every way," she added.

The soundtrack album, released on September 27, is designed to serve as a companion to "Joker," featuring Lady Gaga in her role as Harley Quinn.

In the film, Gaga showcases her singing and dancing skills alongside Joaquin Phoenix, portraying his partner in crime, Harley Quinn.

“I think more than anything I wanted to build a character that had some really strong insides, a really powerful inner storm that was kind of the basis of who she is," she told Extra TV. “I think there are some pretty remarkable women that are kind of a wreck inside and that we kind of have this ability to keep going even when we're just completely broken.”

The "Born This Way" singer continued, “I thought that would be an interesting way to play a character that I think people classify as kind of ‘out there,’ but give her kind of a reason for being that way.”

One standout scene features Gaga applying Harley Quinn's makeup in front of a mirror while singing "I've Got the World on a String" to herself. However, the challenge for Lady Gaga was finding a way to sing in a more relatable tone rather than using her iconic powerful vocals.

“Yeah. I worked really hard on that, kind of trying to undo all my technique. I mean, Ally Maine in 'A Star Is Born' is a singer and it’s a movie about people who make music,” she told Vogue. “That is not what this film is about at all.”

She says her costar, Joaquin Phoenix, was there with her every step of the way as her personal cheerleader. 

“I encouraged her to sing poorly. I remember asking her to sing without her vibrato," the actor 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.”

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