Lady Gaga Speaks Up About ‘Joker 2’s’ Negative Reviews
The Joaquin Phoenix-Lady Gaga starring Joker: Folie à Deux or Joker 2 has seven nominations for the Razzie Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor and Worst Actress. The film’s failure was unexpected given its predecessor Joker, was commercially successful and critically hailed (it was even nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars). Even the combined star powers of Phoenix and Gaga were not enough for the film to break even against a $200 million budget.
For the first time, Lady Gaga spoke up about the negative reviews the film received.
Lady Gaga: “People just sometimes don’t like some things”
In an interview with Elle, Gaga addressed the negative reviews about the movie. “People just sometimes don’t like some things. It’s that simple.” The “Die With A Smile” singer added, “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.”
It seemed that the reception to Joker: Folie à Deux did not deter her; she is acutely aware that becoming afraid of failure can be damaging. “When that makes its way into your life, that can be hard to get control of. It’s part of the mayhem.”
Despite the movie flopping, The Hollywood Reporter’s film critic, David Rooney, praised Gaga’s performance. “Gaga is a compelling live-wire presence, splitting the difference between affinity and obsession, while endearingly giving Arthur [the Joker’s real name] a shot of joy and hope that has him singing ‘When You’re Smiling’ on his way to court. Their musical numbers, both duets and solos, have a vitality that the more often dour film desperately needs.”
What’s Next for Her?
Gaga announced via her Instagram that her eighth studio album, Mayhem, will be released on March 7.
In a statement about the album’s release, Gaga said, “The album started as me facing my fear of returning to the pop music my earliest fans loved.” She added that the creative process of making Mayhem is like “reassembling a shattered mirror: even if you can’t put the pieces back together perfectly, you can create something beautiful and whole in its own new way,” according to Variety.
Fans can’t contain their excitement since Gaga’s last solo album, Chromatica, was released in 2020, five years ago. Also, if “Die With A Smile,” which is included in Mayhem, is any indication of how the album will sound like, then it’s an album worth waiting for.