Lady Gaga Shares Intense Pic of Harley Quinn As She and Joaquin Phoenix Wrap 'Joker' Sequel

The star hints at a fresh take on the villain's origin story.

Lady Gaga is hinting at what fans can expect from her take on Harley Quinn. The 37-year-old star shared an intense photo in character as the iconic comic villain on Wednesday, as she and Joaquin Phoenix wrapped filming on Joker: Folie à Deuxalongside a telling caption. 

"That’s a wrap," Gaga wrote, signing off with "X, Harleen." 

The name appears to be a reference to the 2020 graphic novel Harleen, which, according to the DC Comics' website, tells Harley Quinn's origin story. Written and Illustrated by Stjepan Sejic, Harleen follows Dr. Harleen Quinzel as she interviews criminals at Arkham Asylum and becomes infatuated with The Joker. 

In the new image shared by Gaga and the film's director, Todd Phillips, a disheveled Harleen stares intensely into the camera. She sports smudged, nearly worn-off makeup around her eyes and lips, and messy blonde hair. 

In addition to that shot, Phillips also posted a new image of Phoenix in full makeup as The Joker, pictured from below with his head resting against some sort of cage as he gazes out. Phoenix previously won an Oscar for his role in 2019's Joker, which served as an origin story for his character. 

"That's a wrap," Phillips wrote. "Thanks to these two (+ the entire cast) and the BEST crew that the film industry has to offer. From top to bottom. Gonna crawl into a cave now (edit room) and put it all together."

The role of Harley Quinn was previously played by Margot Robbie in 2016's Suicide Squad, 2020's Birds of Prey, and 2021's The Suicide Squad. In a recent interview with ET, the actress said she was thrilled to see Gaga step into the role. 

"I think she's going to do an amazing job. I'm so excited, it's all I could've ever hoped for Harley was that she would become one of those characters, kinda like Batman or Hamlet, that's gets handed from actor to actor, everyone gets a go at playing them," Robbie said in December. "So, I think it's just credit to her as a character that people want to see her in multiple iterations. I'm excited."

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