Lady Gaga ditches her singing training to embrace a raw performance as Harley Quinn

Lady Gaga takes a bold step into uncharted territory with her portrayal of Harley Quinn in the upcoming film Joker: Folie À Deux, and she leaves her polished vocal skills aside in the process.

In a recent interview with Empire , the Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist shared insights into how she adapted her singing technique to suit her role as Harley Quinn, aka Lee, in the film. “People know me by my stage name, Lady Gaga, right? That’s me as that artist, but that’s not what this movie is,” said Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta.

The film, directed by Todd Phillips, is set for release on October 4 and stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. Gaga described the role as a departure from her usual performances. “I’m playing a character,” she explained. “So I worked hard on the way I sang to come from Lee, and not from me as an artist.”

Gaga, known for her expansive live performances and roles in films like House of Gucci and A Star Is Born, had to adapt her approach to singing for this role. “How do you take music and just let it be an extension of the dialogue, instead of just bursting into song?” she asked. “It was different than anything I’ve ever done before.”

To fit the character, Gaga had to unlearn her finely tuned vocal techniques. “I’m a trained singer,” she noted. “So even my breathing was different when I was singing as Lee.” Gaga revealed that she had to strip away the technical aspects of her singing and instead focus on embodying her character’s raw, unpolished persona. “It’s like removing the technical side of it all, taking out my perceived art form and being completely in her person,” she said.

Joker: Folie À Deux is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Joker, which earned Phoenix an Academy Award for Best Actor. The film’s latest trailer, released on July 23, has further stoked anticipation for the sequel.

In an interview with Access Hollywood in May, Gaga expressed her excitement about the project, saying, “I loved working with Joaquin, I loved working with Todd. I’ve never done anything like this movie before, so it’s going to be completely new and very fun.”