«You fall in love with the characters.» Lady Gaga’s confession about quitting acting.
Lady Gaga, who has played roles in films such as ‘A Star Is Born,’ ‘House of Gucci,’ and now ‘Joker: Folie à Deux,’ admits she is still in love with them.
In Todd Phillips’ new sequel Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga, 38, plays Arkham State Hospital patient Harleen «Lee» Quinzel (a.k.a. beloved DC Comics villain Harley Quinn), who becomes obsessed with Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck (a.k.a. Joker), to the point where the two share fanciful — musical! — expressions of their inner madness.
When asked if she left her psychologically disturbed role behind after filming, the «Die With a Smile» singer says, «I didn’t, really.»
She clarifies, «I didn’t bring her home with me, for sure.» However, between Lee, Ally in 2018’s A Star Is Born and the real-life Patrizia Reggiani in 2021’s House of Gucci, «you fall in love with the characters that you play,» she claims. «I always have, anyway.»
Gaga told Variety about Bradley Cooper’s Ally in A Star Is Born: «I wonder how long she’ll stay.» Or whether she’ll be in there forever.»
In 2022, she told that she dressed as Ally and colored her hair to seem like the role. For House of Gucci, she stated at the time, she resolved to stay in character for almost nine months: «It’s very essential to me that when I’m on television, people don’t think it’s me all the time. «I believe that would be extremely distracting.»
So, «sometimes» Gaga «had trouble leaving» characters behind. «But I’m in a new place.»
That new location includes her engagement to businessman Michael Polansky earlier this year and the preparation of not one, but two future albums: Folie à Deux’s companion record Harlequin (released Sept. 27) and a seventh studio album known as «LG7.»
«I’ve worked in the music industry since I was a teen. And I’ve been working in the film industry for around ten years,» says the Oscar winner. «And you know, I think that I just went through a lot.»
She says, «I just feel so much better now, and it’s good to be able to say that. I’m incredibly grateful to be able to say that.»
Joker: Folie à Deux, which stars Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Leigh Gill, Zazie Beetz, Sharon Washington, and Steve Coogan, is available in theaters.