This past week, the internet has done little else but talk about the new Joker movie that has hit silver screens worldwide. Some think it’s the movie of the decade. Some think it’s so insensitive it should be banned. And some embraced the spirit of Joker’s character, grabbed a bag of popcorn, and enjoyed the ensuing chaos and fights over the movie.
Whatever your opinion about the movie, you can’t deny that it’s certainly captured everybody’s attention and created a discussion about villains, society, violence, and freedom of speech in filmdom. We’ve collected the most interesting facts about the Joker movie, so scroll down, feast your eyes, and upvote your favorites. Share these facts with your friends and leave a comment with your thoughts and feelings about the film.
Be sure to read our previous article about the new Joker movie here. And scroll down for Bored Panda’s interview with film critic Declan Mckinney about the new Joker movie.
More info: IMDb
#1 Joker’s Actor Joaquin Phoenix Based His Laugh On Videos Of People Suffering From Pathological Laughter
Phoenix also wanted to portray a character with which audiences could not identify with him.
Image source: imdb
#2 Before Filming, The Director Phillips Told Joaquin Phoenix That He Envisioned Joker’s Laughter As Something That’s Almost Painful
Joaquin Phoenix would practice many different kinds of laughs and “audition” them for the director at his own request.
Image source: youtube
#3 For The Role Of Joker, Actor Joaquin Phoenix Went On Grueling A Diet And Lost 52 Pounds (23.6 Kilograms)
According to Vanity Fair, the actor worked with the same doctor who helped him lose weight for The Master, and after filming gained back 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms).
Image source: vanityfair
#4 The Bathroom Dance Was Improvised On The Spot By Joaquin Phoenix
Image source: The New York Times
#5 Joaquin Phoenix And The Late Heath Ledger Were Good Friends
Ledger won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008).
Image source: imdb
#6 The Movie Is Based In 1981 Which Was Done Deliberately
According to director Todd Phillips, this was done to keep the movie away from the current events in the DC Extended Universe.
Image source: vanityfair
#7 There Are At Least 3 Different Laughs The Joker Does: The ‘Affliction’ Laugh, The ‘One Of The Guys Laugh, And The ‘Authentic Joy’ Laugh At The End
Image source: youtube
#8 Joker Cracked Imdb’s ‘Top 10 Highest-Rated Movies Of All Time’ List
2019’s ‘Joker’ is currently sitting in the No. 10 slot behind other classic titles such as ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ ‘Pulp Fiction,’ and the first two ‘The Godfather’ movies.
Image source: movieweb, Warner Bros
#9 When Preparing For The Role, Phoenix Studied The Movements Of Iconic Silent Film Stars Like Buster Keaton And Ray Bolger
Image source: vanityfair
#10 Joker Stairs Is Now A Thing On Google Maps And Fans Put It Into The ‘Religious Destination’ Category
You can see the stairs by going here.
Image source: Google Maps
#11 Many Past Actors Went To Dark Places Irl To Play The Role Of The Joker, But Phoenix Says He Didn’t Have That Experience
Image source: Jake Hamilton
#12 The Silent Film ‘The Man Who Laughs’ Was Also Another Major Influence On The New Joker Movie
Image source: Youtube
#13 The Movie Got An 8-Minute-Long Standing Ovation At Its Premiere At The Venice Film Festival
Image source: toddphillips1
#14 Todd Phillips Became Increasingly Annoyed By The Paparazzi Taking Grainy Photos From Whatever Long-Distance Angle They Could
He decided to put out several high-quality photos himself
Image source: wegotthiscovered
#15 The Film’s Storyline, Following A Failed Stand-Up Comedian, Came From The Famous ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ Graphic Novel
Image source: Youtube, DC Comics
#16 The Way Joaquin Phoenix Runs In The Movie Was Also A Very Specific Way Of Character Building, It Was Even Called “Arthur’s Run”
Image source: Vanity Fair
#17 Arthur’s Clown Makeup Was Purposefully Made To Look “Antique” — His Lips Were Made A Reddish-Brown To Resemble Blood
According to the head of makeup, Nicki Ledermann, “even his slanted smile is a metaphor that everything is not perfect. Maybe it’s funny — maybe it’s not.”
Image source: variety.com, toddphillips1
#18 The Script Often Changed Right Before Shooting And The Actors Would Have To Adapt And Even Improvise Their Characters’ Dialogue
According to the film director, Todd Phillips, Zazie Beets’ character Sophie got the most “messed” with between writing and actually shooting.
He complimented Beets, saying she was amazing and “so down for that kind of improvisation, it never phased her, she was enthusiastic about the changes, she helped with dialogue for her character, it was a beautiful collaboration.”
Image source: youtube
#19 Arthur Fleck’s, Aka Joker’s, Role Was Made With Joaquin Phoenix In Mind
Phoenix Joaquin received the movie script in late 2017. Even his mother had a say in his decision of signing on with the massive project.
Image source: toddphillips1
#20 In Real Life, Arkham State Hospital Is The Brooklyn Army Terminal Annex Building
Image source: Google Maps
#21 Joaquin Phoenix Said That He Didn’t Refer To Any Past Iterations Of Joker’s Character When Developing His Role
He explained his decision at the Venice Film Festival press conference: “It was just something that felt like our creation, and that’s what was really important for me.”
Image source: Venice Film Festival
#22 Robert De Niro Is Phoenix’s Favorite American Actor, However, The Two Hardly Talked On Set
This was partly because both actors have very similar acting methods.
Image source: vanityfair
#23 The Joker Staircase Is Located In The Bronx At W 167th St, Between Anderson And Shakespeare Ave
You can check out the staircase right here.
Image source: Warner Bros
#24 Director Phillips Actually Asked Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir To Start Writing Music Off The Script, Which Is Not Normally Done In Movies
Image source: youtube, hildurness
#25 In Fact, There Was A Little Awkward Tension Between The De Niro And Phoenix
This was because De Niro insisted the whole cast do a read-through before filming his scenes, while Phoenix did not want to do any read-throughs at all. Fortunately, despite their opposite positions, they finally came to a friendly agreement and worked it all out.
Image source: vanityfair, toddphillips1
#26 The Shot Of Arthur Fleck Being Beaten Down Was Intended, Planned And Made To Looked Like From A Graphic Novel
Image source: Vanity Fair
#27 The Hudson County Superior Court In Jersey City Became The Wayne Hall For The Movie
Image source: Google Maps
#28 The Joker Title Was Firstly Shot On Film And Then It Was ‘Filmed Out And Put Back On The Digital Again’, As The Movie’s Director Says. It Was Done To Achieve Grainy And Oldschool Look
Image source: Vanity Fair
#29 Pornhub Reveals That There Have Been 741,000 Searches For ‘Joker’ Since The Movie’s Release At The Start Of October 2019
Image source: warnerbros
#30 After Watching The Behind-The-Scenes Footage, You Can Tell That Some Scenes Were Deleted From The Movie
You can see the full video with the deleted scenes right here.
Image source: Mr. Scissors
#31 A Lot Of Late ’70s And Early ’80s “Character Study” Films Served As Major Influences On The Film And You Can See Many Visual Similarities
Image source: JamieRighetti, Youtube
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