Joker: Folie à Deux is just weeks away and while the movie was somewhat being billed as a musical, both director Todd Phillips and star Lady Gaga are curbing expectations for audiences who are thinking they are in for an In the Heights-type experience. Phillips stated, “Most of the music in the movie is really just dialogue,” Phillips said. “It’s just Arthur not having the words to say what he wants to say, so he sings them instead.” Phillips added, “I just don’t want people to think that it’s like In the Heights, where the lady in the bodega starts to sing and they take it out onto the street, and the police are dancing. No disrespect, because I loved In the Heights.“ At the Venice Film Festival, Gaga said she would describe it as a musical, “It’s very different. The music is a way to give the characters a way to express themselves because the dialogue wasn’t enough.”
According to Deadline, the film’s star Joaquin Phoenix would also add an anecdote about getting in Arthur Fleck’s shape for the sequel. Phoenix is one of those actors who really commits to the role and for the last Joker film, he revealed in 2020 that he lost a staggering 52 pounds to embody the role of Arthur Fleck. This time, Phoenix explains,
I’m not going to talk through specifics of the diet, but this time it felt a bit more complicated just because there was so much dance rehearsal that we were doing, which I didn’t have last time. I’m now 49, I probably shouldn’t do this again. This is probably it for me.”
Phoenix would also field a question about his recent departure from Todd Haynes‘ film that was set to go into production. Haynes’ film revolves around two men who are intense lovers and leave California for Mexico. The reason for Phoenix’s exit is unclear. Still, some have wondered if the project’s intimate and explicit content was a factor. Phoenix would be inquired about the situation surrounding his abrupt exit and he would reply, “If I do, I’d just be sharing my opinion from my perspective and the other creatives aren’t here to share their piece so I don’t think that would be helpful. So I won’t.”