Fans of The Joker have hailed Joaquin Phoenix ‘the greatest actor that ever lived’ as test footage from the first film has resurfaced.
The award -inning film Joker was released theatrically on October 4, 2019, with director Todd Phillips highly-anticipated sequal, Joker: Folie à Deux set for release on October 4, 2024.
In the footage shared online, the actor, 49, who scooped Best Actor at the Oscars, could be seen in a makeup test.
Joaquin goes from troubled comedian Arthur Fleck to the nihilistic criminal clown, Joker, in the chilling reel.
Fans of the DC franchise have praised his ‘entirely believable’ and ‘frightening’ portrayal, years on from the films first release.
Chilling: Fans of The Joker have hailed Joaquin Phoenix, 49, ‘the greatest actor that ever lived’ as test footage from the first film has resurfaced
Perfromance: In the footage shared online, the actor, who scooped Best Actor at the Oscars, could be seen in a makeup test
One person commented: ‘Best Joker ever. I find it hard to believe, but he actually tops even Mark Hamill. This Joker is entirely believable and so much more frightening for that fact.’
Another added: ‘Man his acting in that was so unreal, from going to a shy recluse to a psychopath was amazing to watch.’
‘In my book, Joaquin Phoenix is the greatest actor that ever lived. Genius!’ a third fan wrote.
‘Even without music he’s so disturbing,’ some one else commented, as another added: ‘He doesn’t need to act, he is joker.’
Earlier this month, director Todd teased fans with yet another still from the highly-anticipated comic book film.
The filmmaker, 52, uploaded a photo of actor Joaquin Phoenix, fully in character as the villainous title character, to his Instagram account.
Eyes closed, Phoenix basked in a downpour of rain as passersby, who carried brightly-coloured umbrellas, strolled beside him.
Phoenix appeared blissful as he tilted his head skyward, seemingly unaware of the others around him.
Screen test: Joaquin goes from troubled comedian Arthur Fleck to the nihilistic criminal clown, Joker, in the chilling reel
Praise: One fan wrote: ‘Man his acting in that was so unreal, from going to a shy recluse to a psychopath was amazing to watch’
‘Oct. 4. Thanks for all the messages. Four years ago we had quite a ride. Lots of great memories. More to come,’ Phillips captioned the post.
The upcoming sequel is scheduled to be released exactly five years after its predecessor hit theatres – on October 4, 2024.
Phoenix will be returning as the titular villain, while Lady Gaga has joined the cast as the crazed Harley Quinn.
Gaga reportedly employed a rather interesting technique on the set of the film as she threw herself into character as the villainess.
Cinematographer Larry Sher revealed on The Trenches TV podcast that, on the set, Gaga wanted to be called, ‘Lee.’
Sher also served as the cinematographer on the 2019 Joker movie that landed Phoenix his Best Actor Oscar, confirming that he was, ‘100% in character all the time.’
He added that on the second day of filming, Phoenix approached him and apologized, ‘for being whatever like weird, I just need to stay (in character).’
Sher said that he told him not to worry about it at all and, ‘just do your thing,’ but with Stefani, he had never met her before the project and it was quite different.
First instalment: The upcoming sequel is scheduled to be released exactly five years after its predecessor hit theatres (Joaquin Phoenix in Joker 2019)
Coming soon: Lady Gaga joins Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix in the highly-anticipated Joker: Folie a Deux, set for release on October 4 2024
‘I feel like I never really even met her, even during the makeup hair test,’ Sher began on the podcast.
‘Because, again, maybe it’s my philosophy of never trying to get in their space,’ he clarified.
‘And then I remember for like a week being like, “God I feel like we were disconnecting, not even connecting. We’re like on opposites,”‘ Sher said.
‘And I would say to my crew like, “Jesus I can’t crack it. I feel like she either hates me or we hate each other or there’s something weird going on here,”‘ Sher admitted.
The cinematographer added he would barely say anything to her except for, ‘minor little things,’ when he was clued in that she wanted to be called a different name.
‘Then the AD (assistant director) at one point said, “Oh you know Stef would like if you just called her Lee on set,”‘ Sher explained.
‘And I was like, ‘Oh, 100%.’ And then I literally said like the next thing I said was something Lee, and it was like everything changes.”
‘From that point on it was like our whole connection changed. I was like, OK cool, that’s all I needed to know.
Not connecting: ‘Cinematographer Larry Sher revealed on The Trenches TV podcast that, on the set, Gaga wanted to be called, ‘Lee’
He added that throughout the rest of the movie, their connection, ‘just grew over the movie and by the end I think we felt connected in the sense of like we’ve done this thing together that was joyous and fulfilling.’
Very little is known about the story, though it was revealed at the end of 2019’s Joker that Arthur Fleck/Joker has landed in Arkham Asylum, which is where psychiatrist Harleen Frances Quinzel first meets Joker in her comic book origin story.
Quinn is assigned to treat Joker but instead she falls in love with him and is turned into his villainous accomplice and transformed into Harley Quinn.
