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Method acting—Hollywood’s high-stakes game of “How Deep Can You Dive?”—has been the talk of the industry for decades. By definition, it’s the acting technique where performers dive headfirst into their roles, trying to become one with their characters.
But let’s face it, this approach has been more polarizing than pineapple on pizza, with industry bigwigs split down the middle. So, here’s the million-dollar question: is Lady Gaga the Method acting queen, or is Joaquin Phoenix still holding the crown? Well, Todd Phillips has the lowdown.
According to the director, who has worked closely with both thespians on the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux,Gaga’s dedication sometimes even leaves Phoenix in her shadow. Phillips revealed that the adherence these two powerhouse performers brought to the table is the stuff of legends.
Lady Gaga’s Dedication inJoker: Folie à DeuxOutshines Joaquin Phoenix?
Method actors completely envelop themselves in their roles like a warm, snug blanket on a frosty winter’s night.
“Man, she’s good”: Casting Director Assures Oscar Winner Joaquin Phoenix Will Not be Able to Overshadow Lady Gaga in Joker 2
In the much-anticipated sequelJoker: Folie à Deux,Lady Gaga, 38, struts into the scene as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel, a.k.a. Harley Quinn, the obsessive asylum inmate. Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix, 49, returns as Arthur Fleck, now juggling a death sentence and a twisted romance with Lee.
According toTodd Phillips, both stars take their roles seriously—but Gaga’s commitment might just be off the charts. Indeed, the Brooklyn-born director, 53, toldVarietythat whileboth actorsgave it their all, Gaga’s dedication was on another level. To quote him:
I don’t even really know what Method means. Does he take it seriously? Does she take it seriously? Hell yeah. But he doesn’t stay in character 24 hours a day. With her, I’d say she does a lot more of that than he does.
Gaga herself describedJoker: Folie à Deuxas a “very big swing”, full of“audacity and complexity”, and hinted at the film’s edgy reinvention. Phillips also added that Gaga’sHarley Quinnis getting a major makeover:
The high voice, that accent, the gum-chewing and all that sort of sassy stuff that’s in the comics, we stripped that away. We wanted her to fit into this world of Gotham that we created from the first movie.
Phoenix, on his part, previously revealed his own Method madness when he lost a whopping 52 pounds for the role of Joker in 2019 (viaThe Hollywood Reporter):
It turns out that affects your psychology. You start to go mad.
Zazie Beetz is back in action, reprising her role from the previous film, and she’s not alone. Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener are joining the cast, adding a few more heavyweights to the mix.
Lady Gaga’s Method Acting Approach: Tips for Aspiring Performers
Lady Gaga has been quite the Method acting evangelist. OnThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert, while promotingHouse of Gucci, she cleared the air about the whole Method acting hullabaloo.
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“There’s a sort of idea around Method acting that it’s crazy and that we’re crazy,”the singer-actress said with a grin. She added:
But I think that for those of us who commit ourselves to Method acting there’s something about us that is just fully committing ourselves to the art on a cellular level. That we’re deeply entrenched in this immersive experience. I feel it when I sing, I feel it when I make music, and I feel it when I’m acting.
Reflecting on her role inJoker: Folie à Deux,Gaga toldAccess Hollywood:
My version of Harley is mine, and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters. I don’t want to give anything from the movie away. I think it’s really something you have to experience in the theater.
Gaga also expressed her enthusiasm about working withJoaquin Phoenixand Todd Phillips, saying:
I loved working with Joaquin, I loved working with Todd. I’ve never done anything like I’ve done in this movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new and really fun.
With musical elements and stylistic surprises in store, this film promises to be a wild ride that audiences won’t soon forget.
So, mark your calendars:Joker: Folie à Deuxwill hit theaters on July 03, 2025.
Siddhika Prajapati
Senior Journalist & Content Head
Articles Published :3310
With over 3,300 articles carved into the digital walls of FandomWire, Siddhika Prajapati excels at creating, curating, and elevating engaging stories. She takes pride in giving these stories a home and, of course, she’s got a Google Knowledge Panel to prove it!Whether it’s reviewing the latest drop on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+, or analyzing the cultural echoes of a streaming hit on Paramount+ or Max, Siddhika is always writing three steps ahead of the discourse.
