Lady Gaga only wanted to be called 'Lee' on Joker sequel set, DP says: 'I didn't know Stefani at all'

Now that the cloud of flies sent by House of Gucci muse Patrizia Reggiani has parted, let the Lady Gaga method acting train steamroll through Hollywood once again.

The Oscar-winning songwriter and actress reportedly wanted to be called "Lee" as she filmed her role as DC Comics villain Harley Quinn on the set of director Todd Phillips' upcoming blockbuster Joker: Folie à Deux, the film's cinematographer said.

"I remember I didn't know Stefani at all and, strangely, I felt like I never even really met her, even during the makeup and hair test," Oscar-nominated DP Lawrence Sher told The Trenches podcast, referencing the A Star Is Born performer's real name, Stefani Germanotta. "I remember for like a week being like, God, I feel like we're like disconnecting, not even connecting, we're like, on opposites. I'd say to my crew, 'Jesus, I can't like crack it. I feel like she either hates me or we hate each other, or there's something weird going on here.'"

Sher, who received an Academy Award for his work on framing returning star Joaquin Phoenix in 2019's Joker, said he'd "barely say anything" to Gaga at first, outside of "minor little things" on the production — all while using the name "Stef" to address her.

"And then, the AD at one point said, 'oh, you know, Stef would like if you just called her Lee on set', and I was like, 'Oh, 100 percent,' and.... the next thing I said was something 'Lee,' and it was like everything changed," Sher continued. "From that point on it was like, our whole connection changed. I was like, alright, cool, that's all I need to know. That changed everything. Then we made the rest of the movie, and it was much more of connection."

Representatives for Gaga and Phillips did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Gaga joined Phoenix's Joker sequel in mid-2022, with filming wrapping this spring. The project is a musical continuation of the first film that reportedly follows Harley Quinn and Joker's complicated romance while at Arkham Asylum.

Paparazzi photos taken during filming in New York City appeared to show Gaga in a stripped-down version of Harley Quinn's traditional costume, sporting messy clown makeup, stringy blonde hair, a checkered blouse, a leather skirt, and a crimson jacket.

The first Joker film was a financial and critical success, scoring Phoenix a Best Actor victory at the 2020 Oscars as well as box office grosses totaling over $1 billion worldwide.

Joker: Folie à Deux — also starring Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, and produced by Gaga's A Star Is Born director-costar Bradley Cooper — releases on Oct. 4, 2024.

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