Lady Gaga Doesn't Consider JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX a Musical

At a recent press conference for Joker: Folie à Deux in Venice, superstar Lady Gaga shared some surprising thoughts about the upcoming sequel, where she stars alongside Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck.

"I wouldn't necessarily say that this is actually a musical in a lot of ways," the singer said, who plays Harley Quinn in the film. "It's very different. The way that music is used is to really give the characters a way to express what they need to say because the scene and dialogue is just not enough."

Some X users took issue with her comment, as this is how both screen and stage musicals are generally defined. In a previous interview with Variety, it was revealed that Phoenix and Gaga sang live on set, a departure from the usual practice of lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks. The decision came from the goal of authenticity, allowing the performers to make acting and musical choices in the moment. Take a look at the video with her comments below, courtesy of Deadline.

As previously reported, the upcoming movie heavily features musical sequences reminiscent of classic MGM musicals. Get Happy,” “For Once in My Life” and “That’s Life" are among the songs confirmed to be featured in the movie. 

In a different interview with Empire Magazine, Gaga discussed how her approach to singing as Harley Quinn differed from her approach to singing her own music: "When I breathe to sing on stage, I have this very controlled way to make sure that I’m on pitch and it’s sustained at the right rhythm and amount of time, but Lee would never know how to do any of that.

In addition to Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, the cast of the film features Emmy nominee Zazie Beetz, and Oscar nominees Catherine Keener and Brendan Gleeson. 

Oscar-nominated director Todd Phillips, who also produced the 2019 A Star Is Born, starring Lady Gaga, directs the screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Silver. 

In the Batman canon, Harley Quinn (Gaga) begins her journey as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, an Arkham Asylum therapist who falls in love with Joker and joins him as his oft-abused love interest and villainous sidekick. Todd Phillips' original 2019 film left the film's central character, Arthur Fleck/Joker in the Arkham State Hospital.

Joker: Folie à Deux will be released in theaters on October 4. Watch a recently released featurette below.