His portrayal of Joker in 2019 won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Joaquin Phoenix once again slips into the guise of Batman’s enemy, in a second part still directed by Todd Phillips. Met in London, the actor opens up about this double-sided role.
“Joker: Folie à deux” constantly plays on the two personalities that inhabit your character. In this case, the man, Arthur, and the famous Joker. How did you manage this duality?
This directly concerns this character. He is the one who manages this duality. It would be a mistake for me to decide which side dominates the other. And this, especially since the central idea consists of making the character unpredictable so that the spectator never knows whether Arthur or the Joker will dominate the other. This man is always moving, transforming, and having so many possibilities was fun. Of course, I play each scene several times and all the takes are different. Everything is done in the moment, depending on the mood. Todd Phillips, the director, has a lot of control over this and has the final say on the version chosen for editing. I’m just there to feel things in the moment. So it’s a collaborative process with lots of room to explore.
What facet of the character did you most want to highlight?
Much of the film revolves around Arthur’s mind and that mask he wears as the Joker. It’s like we’re projecting versions of ourselves. When preparing, the feeling of getting older was one of the first things that came to mind. I remember thinking about bands like Kiss or Slipknot, who perform in extravagant costumes. When you’re twenty, it’s part of the game, but when you get to your forties, it becomes something else.
Related News :