JOKER Cast Interviews - Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Todd Phillips on FOLIE a DEUX

Paul McGuire Grimes, ABC, Minneapolis, Joaquin, it is an absolute honor getting to talk to you today. Get out of town. I'm serious. So thank you for the time today. Thank you for being here. Yeah. I love the new angle that you took on this film. And one of the things I love about it is this idea of music therapy. And there's a line in the film, how we use music in this class to make us feel whole. How important was music to you growing up? It was important. I mean, my siblings and I sang from a very young age. We actually performed together. So it was such a big part of my household, and we were always kind of singing. And then it's something that, quite honestly, in my adolescence, in teen years, I drifted away from, and something I never considered. My siblings all carried on. My sister's a pianist, and my sister has a band, has done solo records. And so it was interesting to have music kind of brought back in. It had been a long time. The last time I think I really sang was Walk the Line, because I don't even like singing in the shower. I'm not one of those people. You know what I mean? I don't drive and sing. So it was important. I love your family and how you talk about them. That's really special and beautiful. Take me back. I love the fact that you are not on social media. You live a very private life. How did you know that your version of Arthur and Joker was really resonating with audiences? I don't. I mean, I imagine that, I'm sure Todd texted and was like, bruh, it's actually doing pretty well. He probably was like, listen, you're going to be very disappointed to hear this, but it's a success. And it was something, you know, I typically have been a part of smaller films. They're not always successful financially. And this obviously was a really big movie, and I was surprised and delighted. I mean, you've been in very successful movies. Just you as the actor, like The Master and Her are phenomenal movies. Describe Lady Gaga as a collaborator, because I can't imagine anyone else in this role besides her. No. Yeah, in some ways, my idea of who she was and who I was going to be working with was intimidating. And then I remember I went to dinner with her and Todd, and actually we met at her house and she was just like, just cool and easy and didn't talk about anything and it felt like effortless, the conversations that we were having about the character. And then Todd and I went to dinner and I was like, should we ask her? And I felt like, oh, you're going to have to clear it through security. And he just called her and she answers like, yeah, he's like, do you want to come meet us? We're going to go out and shoot dinner. She goes, yeah. And she's just in her car. And next thing you know, she's at the restaurant. And then we just started talking about music. And I was like, OK, well, this is a great opportunity to, because I don't really understand what goes into kind of recording a song. And it was just, she has a way of explaining kind of the process and she talks about music and what it means to her in a way that is really intimate and interesting. And so immediately, I think Todd and I both felt like, OK, this is like, right, this is the match for Arthur and the way that she talked about the character and how she wanted to communicate with him. So it was, we were very lucky to have her. Yeah. If you are having a bad day, what does Joaquin put on to make you happy? I have kids now, I don't have bad days. Oh, my God. I got the rap. Thank you for the time today. I appreciate it. Lady Gaga, it is an absolute honor getting to talk to you again. I love seeing you on screen. So thank you for the time today. Thank you so much. Yeah. Now, I love one of the themes of this movie is about music therapy and the line is, we use music in its class to make us feel whole. When did you, Lady Gaga, know that music made you whole and that that was how you were going to change the world? You know, there's a song that I wrote when I was really little called We'll Find a Way to Love Again. And I remember, it's also so silly, I think I was like 13 when I wrote that song about love. And I'm like, what did I think that I even knew? But, you know, I remember singing it and I remember feeling whole. And you know, there's something about songwriting, singing, acting, all of these things that they made me feel whole as a kid because I always felt really different. And it was like the way that I healed myself was with the arts. I mean, as a young gay kid, I know that exact feeling. Now, how does singing in this style in this movie, because it's different than I think what people may expect from you or a typical movie musical, change you as a performer? You know, it like opened me up. It really did. I mean, the way that I try always to bring authenticity onto stage with me when I'm performing and be as truthful as possible. But there is a showmanship sometimes to what I do that, you know, would never make sense for my character. But she has her own brand of showmanship. And, you know, Lee is a very broken person, but she finds her, you know, her power in her love of Joker. And I would say that, you know, my voice in this film is her voice. And every woman deserves to have their own voice. And she has hers. 100%. I love the collaboration with Joaquin Phoenix and the love that you two have for each other. How would you describe him as an actor and collaborator? He is very gifted. He's very soulful. He's extremely deep. He's funny. He's so funny. I mean, I most of the time on set, we were laughing and he's very creative and he takes bold choices like choices all the time. He'll try anything. And you know, that was really fun to work with with him. I think he brought that out in me even more because my character Lee had to be his match. So I had to match him on set. And, you know, that's extremely intimidating and a tall order, but I definitely was up for the challenge. And I think that I did that in a way by having watched the first film and loving Arthur Fleck so much, his inner life, I knew that she had to have a big one. Yeah. I love how you compliment each other. I got the rap. Lady Gaga. Such a treat. Thank you for the time. Thank you for everything. I for everything. I appreciate it. Thank you, my friend. Michael Weir, Grimes, ABC, Minneapolis. Brendan, absolute honor getting to talk to you today. You're one of my favorite character actors because you bring such a unique and singular presence to everything you do. So thank you for the time. Thank you. Thank you very much. Yeah. Now you start with Joaquin back in the village, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. I'll never forget seeing it in a theater. How has Joaquin changed as an actor since the last time you worked with him? Oh, I don't I don't really know. I just know. I don't know at all. I don't know if he has changed particularly. I think he he he has always had incredible integrity and incredible almost self-flagellation with regards to the standards he requires of himself. He had that in the village. He was always feeling that he wasn't quite getting there. And I remember seeing the actual film and saying, what was he talking about? It was so good. Our scenes didn't overlap in as much as they do here. So I think he's definitely the same person and the same. He seeks the same holy grail, I suppose, all the time. I love hearing that. The first film was so successful and you're no stranger to doing big franchises, beloved properties. How do you handle expectations going in? I don't think about them. My only expectation is that my only wish is that the film works as a piece of art. And I honestly believe that, but I understand as well with this one in particular, I was I was actually hoping for the people who set it up. With the amount of leaps they were taking, artistic leaps and in every other way, creatively, they were going for it like it's a sequel. And at the same time, it's an utterly different entity. This one and there was such such courage involved in taking that full leap of faith. And I'm not sure even if the faith was just let's take the leap. It was like that conviction of I think Todd said something about it. It doesn't scare the life out of you. What's the point in doing it? And I just when that happens, I really I want people to respond. But to be honest, once I see the movie myself and I find myself moved by it, that's what I really wanted to begin with. It's I think it's a pretty profound piece of work. So I'm very happy about that. I love when you're happy about your own project. I think that's fantastic. Now, I love the kind of angle of music therapy and the way that music changes. And there's a line we use music in this class to make us feel whole again. What role does music play in your own life? Oh, well, it's always been, you know, it's it's one of those. It's it's an artistic avenue to pursue. It's a creative sort of avenue. And in the end, it's a kind of a therapy where I used to play a lot of Irish music and. There can be no words required where you just sit about and play tunes and the music works of itself. And that to me was just a very bombing and bombing thing thing. It kind of soothes the soul in a way, but it can be so exciting. So it's a kind of a companion through life. If Brendan is having a bad day, what music does he or artists turn to to feel happy? That's an interesting question. I don't know. I don't have a go to like that at all. I have quite an eclectic taste. My mother had a reel to reel tape when we were growing up and she her taste was right across the board. And she'd have classical music followed by, you know, Jimmy Durante or something. And so I've always acquired that and tried to kind of pursue as much of, you know, I take a little taste of different things. But I do have a affinity with Irish dance music, which is kind of where I go to for the most part. Yeah, absolutely. I love that as someone that's Irish. I just love that too. I'm getting the rap. Brendan, such a treat talking to you today. Thank you so much for the time. I appreciate it. Thank you. Choir Grimes, ABC, Minneapolis. Todd, it is really great talking to you today. So thank you for the time. I really appreciate it. Thanks for being here. Yeah. And I want to go back a little bit. When did you know that your version of Joker was really resonating with audiences? I mean, you didn't really know until it came out, but I knew before it came out that it was striking a chord, certainly with people. I didn't know if they were going to show up to the movie, but certainly there was a lot of talk about the movie before it came out. We just didn't know that would translate to people buying tickets. Right. And they certainly did, which is really terrific to see in the theater. How early on was Joaquin involved in planning what the sequel story and the themes were going to be? Because I'm assuming that he's very particular about Arthur and how he would treat Arthur. 100%. I mean, you know, we forget now, or maybe you don't, but the movie came out a couple months later, the pandemic starts, and we're all locked away. And I start going, maybe we should do a sequel. And I start texting Joaquin, and we just start talking about it. So pretty early on. And then I said, well, let me go off with Scott Silver, who I write these movies with, and bring you something to at least, you know, I think I probably showed him an outline of some sort to start Joaquin. So yeah, pretty early. I love that you took this in a very different direction. I think what anyone is really going to expect, which is thrilling there, you work with Lady Gaga a little bit on Stars Born as a producer. Yeah, a little as a producer, yeah. Describe that collaboration, because I feel like only she could have played this version. Well, yeah, basically, I mean, the more Scott and I kind of dove into the script, the more it became music, you know, the more we were leaning on music or going to music. And so then I realized, oh, man, you know, we should really find an actor who brings music with them. You know, of course, I knew her a little bit. And I thought, well, that would be crazy, you know, and so I think I reached out to her and said, we're working on this thing and that's where it started. But yeah, I agree with you. The story we told, who better, right? I love that you had the courage to even just go to her, because I bet there's probably filmmakers people out there like, oh, she would never do it. I'm not going to send it to you. But you did that, which is great. Yeah, I mean, that's what you have to do. I love the theme of music therapy in this. And the great line is, you know, we have music in this class to make us feel whole. When did you, are there musicians or artists that you listen to that makes you feel whole as a person? Oh, yeah, a million. But I would say my whole life, Neil Young, for some reason. Oh, Crazy Horse. Yeah, for some reason. But yeah. I love IMAX cameras and filming on IMAX, which you really did gloriously here. Why was that important to you? And what do you think pushed you as an artist? Well, you know, we filmed for IMAX, meaning for those theaters. And what happens is you're able to jump aspect ratios within the movie, which you obviously know. But most people, you know, they go and they don't even really see it, but they feel it. And that thing, that sort of immersive feeling that they don't necessarily, that some audiences can't put into words, to me, it's just another tool that filmmakers have to which to paint, you know? And yeah, I'm with you. I just think it's the way to see a film. I think when you experience that, I mean, I'll never forget seeing The Dark Knight in IMAX. And what Chris Nolan did is something that you'll never forget. One of the things I love here, too, that you're talking about is the sensationalism of crime and trials. You call it the crime of the century movie. Were there trials that you kind of looked at to think, what is the media front here? Well, I mean, you can think of like, yeah, there were obvious trials that are on. It was more, yes, certainly. There's many. And I think, you know, but it's also just this idea of trials as entertainment, this idea of that something horrible happened, and now we're selling it as entertainment to watch. And that's the part that we kind of wanted to dig into. Oh, absolutely. And I just love this. How do we treat our mentally ill or mistreat them in some cases? I thought you nailed it. So thank you. I got the rap. Thank you, Todd, for this interview. I appreciate it. Thank you. I appreciate it. Nice to meet you, too.