8th October 2024 – (Venice) Viewers are speculating about a whispered exchange between Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga following their standing ovation for Joker: Folie à Deux at the Venice International Film Festival. Despite the film’s lacklustre reviews, with a meagre 33% rating from critics and 31% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, the duo received enthusiastic applause from attendees.
The sequel to Todd Phillips’ acclaimed Joker explores the tumultuous relationship between Arthur Fleck, played by Phoenix, and Harley Quinn, portrayed by Gaga, primarily set in Arkham Asylum. In the film, Quinn serves as Fleck’s psychiatrist before becoming infatuated with him. Critical reception has been harsh, with some calling the film “a waste of good film” and others describing it as “truly terrible.”
As the applause subsided, eagle-eyed viewers on social media speculated that Phoenix told Gaga, “It’s horrible.” AI analysis of the moment suggested Gaga responded with a series of phrases that included, “Don’t say that,” and “I love that.”
One user commented on X, “Someone should use that AI lip reader to figure out what they were saying… it almost looks like Joaquin said, ‘it’s horrible’.” Others chimed in, highlighting the unreliability of AI interpretations, with one sarcastically suggesting Gaga said, “I like big butts and I cannot lie.”
During a press conference later, Gaga elaborated on her transition into acting, stating, “The reason I started making music when I was really little was because I just had something to say… I believe that movies have a tremendous power to change the way people feel.”
Phoenix also shared his inspiration for the film, revealing, “The dream was just, I had this dream that I was performing as the Joker doing songs, and I just called Todd and said there might be something there.”