<p id=”par-1_68″>After <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/joaquin-phoenix/”>Joaquin Phoenix</a>‘s take <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/did-the-joker-inspire-pennywise-from-stephen-kings-it.html/”>on the Joker</a> became a cultural phenomenon, DC Films was going to need to get a big name to play his paramour, Harley Quinn, for <em>Joker: Folie à Deux</em>. They got Lady Gaga to play the iconic villain — and that casting only makes sense in the abstract. Here’s a look at why Gaga’s previous films and television shows are a mark against her casting.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-as-an-actor-lady-gaga-isn-t-as-over-the-top-as-joker-folie-a-deux-could-be”>As an actor, Lady Gaga isn’t as over the top as ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ could be</h2>
<p id=”par-2_59″>The “Shallow” singer is one of the greatest pop stars of all time. The main reason she’s so cool is that she’s so over-the-top. Her costumes, choreography, and songs are all out of this world. On the surface, her uniqueness would make her a perfect fit to play a comic book villain. However, she’s very different as an actor.</p>
<p id=”par-3_65″>Gaga is a talented actor, but she’s a surprisingly restrained actor. In her <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/barbra-streisand-felt-lady-gaga-bradley-coopers-a-star-is-born-went-wrong-direction.html/”>magnum opus, <em>A Star Is Born</em></a>, she plays a down-to-earth singer. <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/lady-gaga-explained-bad-romance-embodies-idea-perfect-chorus.html/”>The “Bad Romance” singer</a> is the only recurring cast member of <em>American Horror Story</em> who consistently underacts her roles. She showed off an awkward Italian accent in <em>House of Gucci</em>, but she still downplayed the eccentricities of the heiress Patrizia Reggiani. </p>
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<iframe title=”Joker: Folie À Deux | Official Trailer” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/_OKAwz2MsJs?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-lady-gaga-isn-t-necessarily-a-good-choice-for-a-musical”>Lady Gaga isn’t necessarily a good choice for a musical</h2>
<p id=”par-4_76″>Of course, comic book characters are elastic. Their personalities can vary wildly based on who is writing their lines. Maybe the creators of <em>Joker: Folie à Deux </em>want to create a toned-down version of Harley Quinn. That would be odd, given that the movie is a musical. Musicals are supposed to be artificial! Gaga has a great singing voice, but nobody should be cast as a lead character in a musical based on singing talent alone.</p>
<p id=”par-5_53″>In addition, Phoenix’s performance as the Joker is full-throated, so there’s no reason to believe that the creators of <em>Joker: Folie à Deux</em> want to take things down a notch for the sequel. Maybe Gaga will overact for the first time in her life. It’s not clear she knows how to do that.</p>
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<iframe title=”Joker: Folie à Deux | Official Teaser Trailer” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/xy8aJw1vYHo?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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Kanye West Was Shocked When He Learned the Meaning of Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-casting-director-of-joker-folie-a-deux-raved-about-the-pop-star”>The casting director of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ raved about the pop star</h2>
<p id=”par-6_39″>Of course, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/lady-gaga-made-huge-mistake-applause.html/”>the “Applause” singer</a> has her defenders. During a 2024 interview with <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/lady-gaga-surprised-joker-casting-director-1235023564/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>IndieWire</a>, casting director Francine Maisler praise Gaga’s performance in the movie. “She’s so good in it, you guys,” she said. “She’s going to blow your mind.” </p>
<p id=”par-7_90″>Maisler gave someone else credit for casting the pop superstar in the movie. “I didn’t suggest Lady Gaga,” she recalled. “It wasn’t my idea. That was [director] Todd Phillips, before me. But I will tell you, she’s really surprising — and really good. I saw it and I was really surprised. I mean, we all knew what she could do in <em>A Star Is Born</em>, but I thought, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of in her wheelhouse.’ Something she could do and just be real. But this … Man, she’s good.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_44″>Maisler compared Gaga to Phoenix. “Joaquin blows your mind, but that she could keep up with him, and be real — and not just wiped off the screen by what that role is and what the performance is — shows she’s good,” Maisler added.</p>
<p id=”par-9_18″>Gaga doesn’t seem like the right choice for <em>Joker: Folie à Deux</em> but she can always surprise us.</p>