Lady Gaga 'went to extremes' while going 'full method' as Harley Quinn for new Joker movie
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Lady Gaga's upcoming role as Harley Quinn in the eagerly anticipated drama 'Joker: Folie a Deux', starring Joaquin Phoenix, is said to have taken the 13-time Grammy winner to new lows and forced her to almost miss this year's Oscars performance.
In order to portray Joker's girlfriend, who is described as a "human dealing with bipolar trauma and mental health frailty," 37-year-old Gaga went "full method," a film insider told DailyMail.com. She was still shooting when the 95th Academy Awards were held in March.
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Just 48 hours before the show, Gaga reportedly informed Oscar organizers that she would perform 'Hold My Hand' from 'Top Gun: Maverick' at the Hollywood event. The insider revealed, "Gaga had spent the previous few weeks shooting many of the most intense film scenes in New York. Her head was fully in space for Harley."
'So deep in character'
The insider continued, "It was not simply an easy task to drop that commitment and fly to LA to sing at the Oscars. She didn't commit because Joker was her life and central focus. It took a few requests from her team and the Oscar producers before she agreed to play. With Gaga so deep in character it was not that easy just to switch into pop star mode."
They added, "She gave us a glimpse of Harley without saying a word during her eventual makeup-free performance." Everyone saw an artist who wasn't simply performing the theme song of a big movie but was also making a message. The insider said that Gaga is "determined to make Harley more than just a cartoonish screen character" in terms of what the role will mean for the fans. She concentrated on portraying a complex human being who was coping with loss, ongoing trauma, and a yearning to meet a soul mate, as reported by DailyMail.
'She pushed herself to the extreme'
Dealing with bipolar disorder makes acting extremely difficult. The source noted, "She pushed herself to the extreme, effectively living in the mindset of this multi-faceted personality." The pop artist had to balance the challenge of singing songs with ominous undertones and that character development. Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar-winning performance, which depicted Arthur Fleck, the film's main malevolent protagonist, going through a mental health journey, also affected Lady Gaga.
Gaga recently finished filming 'Joker: Folie a Deux', and on April 6, she posted an official shot of her as Harley. Gaga posted on Instagram, writing, "That's a wrap," and signing her name, "X, Harleen." The story mentions Quinn's beginnings in the Batman animated series. Her duties as a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, charged with researching the Joker, are turned upside down when she falls in love with him instead. The movie will be released on October 4, 2024.