'Choked on coffee': Joaquin Phoenix on Lady Gaga's reaction to his singing

Joaquin Phoenix has wowed fellow “Joker: Folie à Deux” movie star, famed American singer Lady Gaga, with his vocals. Speaking to Empire, the Oscar winner, who returned to the role of Arthur Fleck/Joker, revealed that when he first sang, Gaga was drinking coffee. “I remember her chugging her coffee... and it gave me such a good feeling, such joy and gave me such confidence,” the actor noted with a smile.

“Gaga was always encouraging, just saying, 'Trust the way you feel, it's beautiful,'” Phoenix continued to say about the singer. In the movie musical, she played the Joker's girlfriend Lee or Harley Quinn. “For someone who isn't a performer in that sense, it can be... uncomfortable to do that, but emotionally infectious.”

“Joker: Madness for Two” is the sequel to the 2019 film ‘Joker,’ which also stars Phoenix in the title role. According to the official synopsis from Warner Bros., which was behind the production of both the first and second films, the sequel will have the action set in Arkham Asylum. “Arthur Fleck is institutionalized awaiting trial for crimes committed in the guise of the Joker. Struggling with a split personality, Arthur not only meets true love, but also discovers the music that has always resounded inside him.”

In the movie, music plays a key role in the development of the relationship between Arthur and Lee. “It was important to protect that from bad phrasing and accidentally singing the wrong notes,” the actor added about his singing abilities. - Arthur grew up listening to his mother play all these songs on the radio. He is not a singer and he shouldn't sound like a professional singer. He should sound like someone who's taking a shower and just decided to sing.”.

Oscar and Grammy winner Lady Gaga herself spoke to the publication earlier, talking about the biggest challenge she faced in playing the role of Lee/Harley Quinn. “People know me by my stage name Lady Gaga, right? That's me as a singer, but that's not what the movie is about,” she explained. - 'I'm playing a character, so I worked really hard on the kind of singing that would come from Lee, not me as a famous singer. It's unlike anything I've done before. I was learning to sing professionally, right? So even my breathing was different when I sang for Lee.”

“Joker: Madness for Two” is scheduled to premiere in theaters on October 4th.