Harley Quinn has always had a distinct voice. Snappy, a little unhinged, and the East Coast equivalent of a Valley Girl accent. She’s unique and instantly recognizable. And from Arleen Sorkin to Kaley Cuoco and Margot Robbie, they’ve all managed to find their own version of the Harlequin, voice and personality, while staying true to Harley Quinn. Now Lady Gaga is stepping into her shoes in Joker: Folie à Deux.
In the sequel to the 2019 film Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, we encounter an Arthur Fleck who “is institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity.” While there, “Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.” Enter Lady Gaga’s Lee Quinzel.
In an interview with Blavity, between Lady Gaga and Managing Editor Trey Mangum, the actress shared how she found her character’s voice. “It was a process that was completely rare and original to this film. And I really loved working on it. We spent a lot of time talking about the voice. And for my character, I wanted to find a voice for her that would be uniquely hers. But also because fantasy plays such a big role in the film, I also tried to use my voice like a paint brush.”
On the fantasy bit, Joker: Folie à Deux is deemed a musical, with the multiple trailers we’ve seen, showing that a lot of what we’ll experience with this movie is happening in Arthur’s head and not in reality. Lady Gaga continued her previous thought by saying that her voice was “in a way that would not be beholden to me as the singer and entertainer that my fans know me as but as like the woman in Arthur’s mind.”
That made her wonder which places she would acting or singing from. “Would she be singing from a broken place with very little breath and no attention to her singing voice at all. In other moments, how would she completely shine and be magic? And why?” For her, it was something fun that she could do with music that she hasn’t done before, which includes five solo albums, two collaborative albums, soundtracks, and more.
Want to watch the full interview with Lady Gaga? Make sure to visit the Blavity channel here and support.
Joker: Folie à Deux is set to hit theaters on October 4, 2024.
