Five years after the resounding success of “Joker,” Joaquin Phoenix returns to embody the disturbing Arthur Fleck in the highly anticipated sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux”. During the Venice Film Festival, where the first images of the film were screened, the actor revealed details about the challenging process of revisiting this complex role.
The actor's comments included the drastic weight loss he had to face once again. Phoenix, known for his extreme commitment to his characters, stated at a press conference that this time the physical transformation was "a little harder" than all the previous ones.
The complex physical transformation of Joaquin Phoenix for "Joker 2"
Unlike the first installment, in which he lost 52 pounds following a strict diet based on lettuce and steamed vegetables, the process for “Joker: Folie à Deux” became complicated due to the inclusion of demanding dance rehearsals, a novelty in this sequel that combines drama with musical elements.
The 49-year-old actor confessed that maintaining a low weight while doing intense dance rehearsals turned out to be a bigger challenge than he had anticipated. Although he did not want to go into specific details about his diet, he mentioned that this time he was more careful, working closely with a nutritionist to ensure that the process was safer.
However, Phoenix also acknowledged that, given his age, subjecting his body to these extremes is probably something he should not repeat in the future. "Maybe this is the end of that for me," he reflected. This experience is not new for Phoenix, who during the promotion of the first film repeatedly mentioned the effort it took to achieve the physical requirements to play Joker.
Joaquin Phoenix talks about his performance despite not wanting to do so
This time, the actor decided not to focus so much on that aspect, avoiding turning his physical transformation into the main topic of the interviews. "I got angry with myself last time for talking so much about it," he admitted. "So this time I told myself 'I'm not going to do that'".
Phoenix's return to his iconic role occurs in a different context, with the addition of Lady Gaga as Lee, a musical therapist who becomes his companion in this shared journey of madness. Phoenix highlighted Gaga's commitment to the role, noting that she also underwent a significant physical transformation for her character.