In a recent interview with Variety, Todd Phillips, the director of "Joker 2," talked about a number of topics surrounding his latest film, from its enormous budget to the difficult question of how to define the film. Phillips didn't mince words as he expressed his opinion on a number of topics surrounding his work, including the impact of film on society.
The first Joker movie had a budget of $60 million, which is relatively small by Hollywood standards. However, with “Joker 2”, officially named Joker: Folie à Deux, the budget reached almost 200 million dollars. In this regard, Phillips commented: "I don't understand why people are so concerned about how much money we spend. Instead of being happy that we employed a lot of people with this money and gave them a living, they are behaving like directors of film studios." With this statement, he clearly indicated that social aspects are also important for the success of the film, not just economic.
Musical or not?
Phillips also expressed his reservations about labeling the film a "musical". He explained that most of the musical score exists only in the disturbed minds of the main characters, Arthur and Lee. "I don't want people to think that the film will be similar In the Heights, where the saleswoman starts singing, everyone comes out into the street and even the police start dancing," he said, emphasizing that "Joker 2" is a completely different kind of narrative.
The new Harley Quinn
In early talks about the film, Joaquin Phoenix suggested adding a female version of the Joker to Arthur, which led Phillip to the Harley Quinn character. The new version of Harley Quinn, which will be portrayed by Lady Gaga, will be significantly different from previous incarnations, such as that of Margot Robbie in "Suicide Squad" and "Birds of Prey". "We removed everything, the high-pitched voice, that accent, the bubblegum and all that bold stuff from the comics," explained Phillips. "We wanted the character to fit into this world of Gotham that we created with the first movie."
Method of playing
Regarding method playing, Phillips said: “I don't even know what exactly 'Method' means. Of course they took her seriously, but he didn't stay in character 24 hours a day. I'd say she did it a lot more than he did. But as a director, I support everything necessary for the actors to achieve their goals."
Incels and violence
Before the release of the first film, there was a lot of discussion about "Joker" romanticizing the archetype of the disturbed man who becomes a mass murderer. Phillips, however, explained that he wanted to show the lack of empathy in the world. "If someone had understood Arthur's pain, or if the social safety net had been stronger, he might have been saved from this crazy and violent journey," he said.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” will be released on October 4 in the United States and October 2 in Italy.
