Lady Gaga‘s initial reaction to Joaquin Phoenix singing in Joker: Folie à Deux is definitely one he’ll likely never forget.
The actor, who returns as Arthur Fleck/Joker in director Todd Phillips‘ musical sequel to 2019’s Joker, recently recalled what it was like singing in front of Gaga, who not only plays Lee/Harley Quinn but is also a professional Grammy-winning singer.
“I do seem to remember her spitting up coffee the first time I sang, so that felt good, that was exciting, and made me feel confident,” Phoenix quipped during an interview with Empire magazine.
He and the “Shallow” singer went on to work together to build a musical rhythm between their characters for the highly-anticipated film.
“Gaga was always very encouraging of just, ‘Go with what you feel, it’s fine’,” Phoenix said. “For somebody who’s not a performer in that way, it can be… uncomfortable to do that, but also very exciting.”
The Beau Is Afraid actor also explained the importance of music for his character, notably since Arthur Fleck “has music in him,” per Phillips’ words in the first installment.
“It was important to protect that with poor phrasing and occasional bum notes,” Phoenix added. “Arthur grew up hearing his mother play these songs on the radio. He’s not a singer, and he shouldn’t sound like a professional singer. He should sound like somebody that’s taking a shower and just bursts out into song.”
Joker: Folie à Deux, which hits theaters Oct. 4, sees failed comedian Arthur Fleck meet the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital. Once he’s released, the duo embarks on a doomed romantic misadventure.
Last week, Gaga also revealed to Empire how she changed her singing voice for her version of Harley Quinn in the movie, noting that it was “unlike anything I’ve ever done before.”
“People know me by my stage name, Lady Gaga, right? That’s me as that performer, but that is not what this movie is; I’m playing a character,” she said. “So I worked a lot on the way that I sang to come from Lee and to not come from me as a performer.”