Marc Maron says Joker movie is a character study of a mentally ill person

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

It's hard to know entirely what to make of Todd Phillips' upcoming JOKER movie at the moment, but the hype seems to point to a film which will be quite unlike its comic-book brethren. JOKER stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, failed stand-up comedian who is driven insane and becomes the psychopathic criminal mastermind known as the Joker. Marc Maron (Glow), who plays Ted Marco in JOKER, recently spoke with NME and dropped a few details about the upcoming film, which he feels is a different breed of comic-book movie.

The approach that Todd Phillips has taken is more of an origin story and a character study of a mentally ill person that becomes The Joker. It’s more of an intimate and gritty movie with a very specific scope. It’s going to be really interesting to see how it comes out.

This jives with what Joaquin Phoenix has previously said, as he described the project is "unique" to other comic-book movies. "It is its own world in some ways, and maybe, mostly, it scares the f**king shit out of me or something," Phoenix said. Maron admitted also admitted that he's been somewhat critical of comic-book movies in the past. "I’ve been somewhat judgemental when it comes to comic book movies and I’ve got a little pushback in the press for being a hypocrite," Maron said. "Whatever I think, if you get a call and someone says, ‘Hey do you wanna do a scene with Robert De Niro and Joaquin Phoenix?’ your principals fall to the wayside." Maron shared a scene with both Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro, and although he said that he didn't speak with Phoenix much as the actor was "pretty immersed in The Joker," Maron was thrilled to learn just how humble De Niro was. "It was great to meet him and it was great to see him work," Maron said. "I wasn’t really beside myself because they do become people very quickly. When you’re not shooting you are just hanging around. Still, he’s Robert De Niro and the subtleties of how he does what he does is innate and amazing to watch. He’s a nice guy and kinda shy, but it was a great experience and not too much of a mindf**k."

JOKER is set for an October 4, 2019 release.