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US News Reporter
Joaquin Phoenix has spoken out about his dramatic weight loss for Joker 2, and explained why he won’t do it again.
The actor will reprise his role as Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips’ musical-style film, which also sees Lady Gaga joining the cast as Harley Quinn.
The Venice Film Festival had a busy week, including the premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s Queer and a blockbuster dubbed “the next Godfather,” but Joker: Folie à deux premiered on Wednesday, September 4, with Phoenix, Lady Gaga, and Phillips attending a press conference afterwards.
When a journalist asked Phoenix about his reasons for losing weight for the film, he said it was “more complicated” than the 2019 original.
For the first Joker, Phoenix lost 52 pounds to achieve the lead character’s haggard look, and achieved this with a diet consisting mainly of steamed vegetables and lettuce.
Phoenix was reluctant to reveal specific details about his diet, telling reporters, “I’m not going to talk about the specifics of my diet.”
However, he said losing weight for the sequel “felt a little complicated because there was a lot of dance rehearsals that we didn’t have last time.”
According to Variety, he said afterwards, “I’m 49 now and I probably shouldn’t do this again. This will be my last time.”
Phoenix also voiced his frustration with the attention given to his body transformation, saying, “I know I had a responsibility to speak up about it last time, but I’ve been working so hard to get to a certain weight that it becomes an obsession.”
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“And then when I end up talking about it, it sounds like an actor going on and on about how much weight he lost. And by the end of that show, I was so fed up and angry with myself for over-hyping the role, because you just do what you have to do. So this time, I was like, ‘I’m not doing that.'”
During the press conference, Phoenix was also asked about his departure from filming on director Todd Haynes’ gay romance movie just days beforehand, but the revelation has shut down production entirely.
When asked if he was open to revealing the reason behind his departure from the project, the actor told reporters, “If I did reveal, I would only be stating my opinion from my perspective and I don’t think it would be helpful for other creators as they are not here to give their opinions.”
“Joker: Folie à deux” will be released on October 4th.
