‘Joker 2’ Axed Scene of Lady Gaga’s Lee Kissing a Woman at the Courthouse Because ‘It Had Dialogue in It’ and ‘Got in the Way’ of a Music Moment

As a devoted fan of Lady Gaga, I must say that the recent developments surrounding “Joker: Folie à Deux” have left me feeling a bit like one of Arthur Fleck’s jaded clown noses – twisted and discarded on the side of the road. The scene where Gaga’s character, Lee, shares a tender moment with another woman during the courthouse sequence was a tantalizing glimmer of the richness that this film could have offered.


Fans of Lady Gaga have been displeased on social media after the release of “Joker: Folie à Deux,” as it seems that several scenes featuring Gaga, which were filmed for the movie, didn’t make it into the final version shown in theaters. One cut scene involved an impromptu moment during filming where Gaga’s character, Lee, shared a kiss with another woman while entering the courthouse to attend Arthur Fleck’s murder trial. These photos of the kiss were captured by photographers on set and subsequently spread online during the production of “Joker 2.

Todd Phillips, director of “Joker: Folie à Deux”, explained that he removed the scene where Lee kissed a woman outside the courthouse since it interfered with the rhythmic flow of the sequence. Since Lee was performing a song and dance routine as she ascended the courthouse stairs, adding a kissing moment would have necessitated halting the music for dialogue.

Phillips mentioned that he chose to remove a part because he wanted it to feel more like a musical experience instead of dialogue-heavy. He explained that for that particular scene to work, there needed to be dialogue accompanying it. So, the woman would say something, and then Lady Gaga would respond or do something, but it ended up distracting from the overall impact of the moment.

Fans of Lady Gaga posted clips from “Joker 2” on social media during its premiere weekend, showcasing scenes with the Grammy and Oscar-winning artist that didn’t end up in the movie. One intricate musical scene seemed to depict Lee surrendering Arthur to the Gotham police, but this scene was also left out of the final version.

Despite any changes Phillips needed to make in Lady Gaga’s scenes for the movie, he shared with Entertainment Weekly that she was an exceptional collaborator with Joaquin Phoenix throughout the production of the sequel, particularly during their duet performances.

In essence, they exchanged advice. He, being Joaquin Phoenix with his acting background in films, offered suggestions to her who has experience in movies. On the other hand, she, being Lady Gaga, provided musical tips to him. According to Phillips, this is how movies ought to be – a grand collaboration. Her feedback would be more precise as it’s about refining specific areas where adjustments were needed, as there’s less room for interpretation.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” is now playing in theaters nationwide from Warner Bros.

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2024-10-07 18:16