Lady Gaga is singing a different tune about playing Harleen “Lee” Quinzel in musical sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Gaga told People that while characters have stuck with her long after wrapping previous films “A Star Is Born” (2018) and “House of Gucci” (2021), she is now “in a new place” with her approach to acting.
“I didn’t bring her home with me, for sure,” Gaga said of playing the famed Harley Quinn. However, when asked if she left the character behind after the production, she added, “I didn’t, really.”
Gaga continued, “You fall in love with the characters that you play. I always have, anyway.”
The Oscar and Grammy winner admitted that “sometimes” she has “had trouble leaving” characters, but she is trying to change that.
“I’ve been in the music industry since I was a teenager. And I’ve been working in the film industry for the last 10 years or so,” Gaga said. “And you know, I think that I just went through a lot. I just feel a lot better now and it’s nice to be able to say that. I feel really grateful to be able to say that.”
Gaga previously told Vogue that she embraced her own experiences with “mania and chaos” to play Harley.
“Sometimes women are labeled as these overly emotional creatures and when we are overwhelmed we are ‘erratic’ or ‘unhinged.’ But I wonder if when things become so broken from reality, when we get pushed too far in life, what if it makes you…quiet?” Gaga said. “Harley Quinn is a character people know from the ether of pop culture. I had a different experience creating her, namely my experience with mania and chaos inside — for me, it creates a quietness.”
She also released a companion album inspired by her character, titled “Harlequin.”
Back in 2022, Gaga said during Variety‘s Actors on Actors roundtable that she stayed in character for years after “A Star Is Born.”
“I would actually say playing a character for me is like living one long song, one long song that lasts for months,” Gaga said. “For ‘A Star Is Born,’ it was years for me.”
However, she “dropped” the portrayal of convicted killer Patrizia Reggiani after starring in “House of Gucci.”
“She was a killer and there were some things about the transformation for me psychologically that were super challenging,” Gaga said. “When I watch the movie, it looks like I’m watching a montage of my life. I don’t feel like I’m watching a film.”
She continued, “When I’m in character, I don’t pretend we’re not filming. I get people who are like, ‘Why did you keep your accent the whole time?’ Can you imagine going in and out of that shit all the time, and I would only get three takes? I had to be ready. I’m not an actor that really knows where the camera is. But I guess what I’m trying to say is it’s super immersive, as if I’m in the middle of singing a song and the song doesn’t end until I decide it does.”
