Joaquin Phoenix on his “Joker” diet: “I shouldn’t do that again”

Joaquin Phoenix (49) spoke at the Venice Film Festival about his “Joker” diet, which he went through again for the sequel to the film. Because of the dance elements in “Joker: Folie à Deux” it was “a little bit more difficult” this time.

The 49-year-old made headlines five years ago when the actor revealed that he had lost over 20 kilos while preparing for his role as Arthur Fleck in the first “Joker” film, which was released in 2019. During the press tour, he said that he ate mainly salad and steamed vegetables to achieve the gaunt look of the villain.

“This time it felt a little more complicated”

In Venice, Joaquin Phoenix explained before the premiere of the “Joker” sequel: “I’m not going to talk about the details of the diet because I don’t think anyone wants to hear that. But this time it felt a little more complicated because we did so many dance rehearsals, which wasn’t the case last time.” Phoenix continued: “So it felt a little more difficult, but it’s safe. But I’m 49 now, I probably shouldn’t do this anymore. That’s probably it for me.”

According to reports, the actor also spoke about his co-star Lady Gaga (38), who he said had also lost a lot of weight. According to Joaquin Phoenix, he still remembers how he met her during rehearsals. Then they didn’t see each other for a while. “And when you came back, you lost a lot of weight. It was really impressive,” said the 49-year-old to his colleague. Lady Gaga herself apparently didn’t want to talk about it: “I think we transformed into our characters over time and worked on every detail,” she said.

And Joaquin Phoenix also seems to regret talking so much about his weight loss in the first film. He was “fed up” with himself at the end and was angry with himself “for making such a big deal out of this part.” The actor won the Oscar for “Best Actor” in 2020 for his performance in “Joker.” The sequel, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” is scheduled to hit theaters in early October.