Lady Gaga really immerses herself into whatever role she’s playing. Remember when she only spoke in an Italian accent and had to seek the help of a psychiatric nurse when she transformed herself into Patrizia Reggiani for House of Gucci? So, it should come as no surprise to hear that she took the role of Harley Quinn for Joker: Folie à Deux, which she stars in alongside Joaquin Phoenix, just as seriously.
We already know that the Oscar-winner underwent an epic weight loss transformation for the role – which was even applauded by Phoenix himself – but that’s not all she did to get herself ready for the part. Keep reading for more details…
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How Did Lady Gaga Prepare For Harley Quinn Role?
Joker: Folie à Deux lands in theaters on October 4th, so we don't have long to wait to see the 38-year-old "Poker Face" singer in action. She spoke to E! News about how she transformed herself into the character, and said: "I allowed myself, once I found her voice, to make her whatever I wanted at any given moment—whatever the scene or the moment called for."
"There're moments on the phone where the music is fantasy or it's Arthur's dream," she continued, in reference to Arthur Fleck, aka The Joker. "So, in those moments, I thought, 'OK, what would Arthur need right now?' Maybe Arthur needed her to be amazing."
Interestingly, finding her voice as Harley Quinn, who was previously portrayed by Margot Robbie, also meant that her voice as a singer was pretty different too. The "Born This Way" hitmaker added: "I allowed it all to become available to me once I really honed in on trying to sing as her without technique, without the right breathing, just really naked and bare."
"At first, it was really scary and it felt really unnatural, but then it felt completely natural for her," the "Shallow" singer continued, adding: "That was exciting. I remember when I first saw it back on camera, and I felt like, 'OK, I think I found something authentic.'"
The singer, known to her fans as Mother Monster, also went on to say that she tried very hard to leave Harley Quinn on set, but that didn't always happen. "I always tried every night that I went home to leave Harley at work," she explained.
"We would make dinner every night after filming. I tried for sure," she added. "But sometimes, the darkness of the movie would stay with me, or sometimes the scene can stay with you. The character tries to creep in all serious ways, but I really tried to drop it."
What Did Joaquin Phoenix Say About Lady Gaga's Weight Loss Transformation?
"I remember when I first met you in rehearsals and then you went away for like a month and then you came back, you lost a lot of weight," the Walk the Line actor said, while speaking to the A Star is Born actress at the Venice Film Festival.
"It was really impressive. It seemed very difficult," he continued, as the "Bad Romance" singer thanked her co-star and said: "I think we transformed into our characters over a period of time and we continued to hone in every kind of detail."
