‘Joker: Folie á Deux’ Casting Director ‘Surprised’ Lady Gaga Could Keep Up with Joaquin Phoenix

Considering Todd Phillips’ DC sequel “Joker: Folie á Deux” is known to be jukebox musical that may or may not feature original songs as well, the casting of renowned pop singer and actress Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn should make a lot of sense, but in fact, didn’t at first to the person in charge.

As reported on by Deadline, speaking at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, “Joker: Folie á Deux” casting director Francine Maisler shared her thoughts on Gaga’s performance and how impressed she was by her work.

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“She’s so good in it, you guys. She’s going to blow your mind. I didn’t suggest Lady Gaga. It wasn’t my idea. That was Todd Phillips, before me,” said Maisler. “But I will tell you, she’s really surprising — and really good. I saw it and I was really surprised. I mean, we all knew what she could do in “A Star is Born,” but I thought, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of in her wheelhouse.’ Something she could do and just be real. But this… Man, she’s good. Joaquin blows your mind, but that she could keep up with him, and be real — and not just wiped off the screen by what that role is and what the performance is — shows she’s good.”

In discussing her take on the character compared to others like Margot Robbie, Lady Gaga said in an interview with Access Hollywood, “You know my version of Harley is mine and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters. I’ve never done anything this like I’ve done in a movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new and really fun.”

Having also been responsible for the casting of Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” starring buzzy trio Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, and Jodie Comer, as well as Denis Villeneuve’s all-star sequel “Dune: Part Two,” it may seem like Maisler’s job is mostly about courting celebrities, but she disagrees.

“It’s not about who’s hot, who’s popular,” she said. “When you have a movie like ‘Dune,’ and especially ‘Dune: Part Two,’ everybody wants to be part of it. So, the director has everybody to choose from. That’s how it works. You just have everybody raising their hands, and some people aren’t available. In this case, they all happened to be available.”

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