Lady Gaga Addresses the Backlash Against Joker: Folie à Deux
Pop icon and actress Lady Gaga has finally addressed the mixed reception to her latest film, Joker: Folie à Deux. Following its October release, Gaga, who portrayed Harley Quinn, remained largely silent on the film's performance, despite releasing a companion album, Harlequin. In a recent interview with Elle, she revealed her perspective on the negative criticism.
Gaga explained that she navigated the negativity, as she does with any challenging project, by managing her expectations beforehand. "People just sometimes don’t like some things," she stated. "It’s that simple. And I think to be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it. And you keep going even if something didn’t connect in the way that you intended.”
AnswerSee ResultsThe sequel to Todd Phillips' 2019 hit received underwhelming reviews from critics and audiences alike, currently holding a 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Its theatrical run was short-lived, leading to a swift digital release and comments from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav describing the film's performance as "disappointing."
Gaga acknowledged the challenges of dealing with such feedback, stating, “When that makes its way into your life, that can be hard to get control of. It’s part of the mayhem.”
Despite the less-than-stellar reception of Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga continues to focus on future projects. Her new album, Mayhem, is set for release this March, concluding a five-year gap since her last full-length album, Chromatica. For further perspectives on the film, explore opinions from Quentin Tarantino and Hideo Kojima, who offered contrasting viewpoints on its merits and potential for future appreciation. You can also find a list of 2024's biggest cinematic disappointments here.
