On Saturday, anyone strolling through Lower Manhattan may have spotted a tiny disturbance at City Hall, as hundreds of people gathered around police officers leading an enigmatic person down the stairs. This supposed criminal mastermind was Lady Gaga who gave the public the first full-length glimpse of her interpretation of the Harley Quinn character in Joker: Folie à Deux. As the love interest and henchwoman to Joaquin Phoenix in the follow-up to Todd Phillips’ Oscar-nominated box office smash Joker, which chronicled the genesis tale of one of Batman’s deadliest enemies, Gaga seemed to be completely in the zone. In photographs of the filming, the audience yelled and shouted as Gaga pretended to be escorted into a courthouse, turning around to angrily raise a fist at them. According to NBC News, the film company had hired some 700 extras to play protestors, and explosives were apparently planned.
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Getting a sneak peek of Gaga’s aesthetic as Quinn, though, was as as exciting as any Hollywood pyrotechnics. There are many fans of Margot Robbie’s flamboyant, feminine interpretation of the character’s aesthetic, as anyone who has attended a Halloween party since the release of Suicide Squad is aware, but it appears that Gaga is taking a different approach. Working with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and A Single Man’s celebrated costume designer Arianne Phillips, Gaga gave Quinn a somewhat more groggy and worn-out persona. The outfit had an intriguingly sleazy undertone, consisting of a red satin blazer with tulle sleeves, a corset top, a leather mini skirt, and sheer tights, all embellished with the character’s distinctive harlequin diamond motif. While we’re sure there will be so much more sneak peek’s, we’ll have to wait for October 2024 to experience the full picture.
