Oscar-nominated 'Joker' cinematographer Lawrence Sher reveals that he thought the 'House of Gucci' star 'hates' him because he couldn't connect with her until he learned of her alias.
- Jul 21, 2023
AceShowbiz - Lady GaGa had a shocking, different name while working on "Joker: Folie a Deux". The singer/actress, who was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, demanded to be called "Lee" on the set of the upcoming movie.
It's one of "Joker 2" crew members who revealed GaGa's alias. Cinematographer Lawrence Sher said on "The Trenches Talk" podcast that the Golden Globe winner demanded to be called Lee and it changed their dynamic on the set.
"I didn't know Stefani at all," Sher said referring to GaGa's real name. "Strangely, I felt like I never even met her, even during the makeup/hair tests. Maybe it was my philosophy of not trying to get in their space."
The Oscar-nominated cinematographer admitted that making connection with the "Born This Way" songstress was not easy at first. "And then I remember for a week, being like, 'God, I feel like we are disconnecting. Not even connecting. We are like on opposites,' " Sher shared. "And I would say to my crew, 'Jesus, I can't crack it. She either hates me or we hate each other. There's something weird going on here.' "
It's not until Sher began to address GaGa with her alias that they developed a better working relationship. "I barely said anything, except I would say, 'Stefani, this is where your second team was,' minor little things, and then the AD at one point said, 'Oh you know, Stef would like if you just called her Lee on set,' " Sher recalled. "And I was like, 100 percent. The next thing I said was something 'Lee,' and it was like everything changed. From that point on, it was like she was...our whole connection changed. I was like, alright, cool."
In the "Joker" sequel, GaGa is presumed to be playing Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Gotham City's Arkham Asylum who went by the name Harley Quinn after falling in love with Fleck.
Margot Robbie, who played the character in "Suicide Squad" (2016), "Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn" (2020) and "The Suicide Squad" (2020), has expressed her support for GaGa to take on the role.
"It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning, all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters, the way Macbeth or Batman always gets passed from great actor to great actor," the Australian actress told MTV back in October 2022. "And I feel like in not so many cases are they female characters. Queen Elizabeth I, but like beyond that - which I got to have a crack at as well, which I was honored to do. I was like, 'Wow, Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I. Now I get to.' "
The "Barbie" star added, "It's such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters who other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think she'll do something incredible with it."
Todd Phillips, who directed the first "Joker" movie, returns at the helm for the sequel. Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as Arthur Fleck a.k.a. Joker in "Folie a Deux", which is slated to arrive in U.S. theaters on October 4, 2024.
