Joaquin Phoenix Gets Candid About 'Difficult' Weight Loss for 'Joker'

Fans were shocked when Joaquin Phoenix lost 52 pounds to play Arthur Fleck in the 2019 film Joker—and it seems the actor went on yet another punishing diet to prepare for the movie's sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux.

As Variety reported, Phoenix opened up about the experience during a press conference at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, Sept. 4, and explained why losing weight for this latest flick was even more challenging.

“I’m not going to talk through specifics of the diet, because I just think nobody wants to hear that," Phoenix said. "But this time, it felt a bit more complicated just because there was so much dance rehearsal that we were doing, which I didn’t have last time. So it felt a bit more difficult, but it is safe. But you’re right, I’m now 49, I probably shouldn’t do this again. This is probably it for me.”

Phoenix momentarily shifted the spotlight to his Joker: Folie à Deux co-star, Lady Gaga, and the physical transformation she made for the film. “Stefani also lost a lot of weight. I remember when I first met you in rehearsals and then you went away and when you came back, you lost a lot of weight. It was really impressive.”

Gaga didn't offer any details on her own process, however.

“I think we transformed into our characters over a period of time and we continued to hone in every kind of detail,” she said.

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When asked how many pounds he lost for the new movie, Phoenix went on to say that he wasn't sure—and that he hadn't planned on talking as much about his weight loss this time around.

“I know I was responsible last time for talking about it, but it’s difficult to do so that becomes your obsession because you’re working the entire time to get to a certain weight,” the star explained. “So then you end up talking about it, and then it just sounds like an actor going on and on about how much weight they lost. By the end of that run I was so sick of myself and angry at myself for making such a big deal about that part, because you just do what you’re f**king supposed to do. So this time I was like, ‘I’m not going to do that.'”

“It was 47 pounds,” he added in a whisper before quickly backpedaling.

“No, I’m joking. I don’t know," he said.

Joker: Folie à Deux—which will include fantasy musical numbers—is scheduled to premiere on October 4, 2024.

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