Lady Gaga admits it was painful experiencing the “unhinged” hatred fans felt towards “Joker: Folie à Deux,” particularly because it was nonstop.
At the time, the mega singer and actress was responding to whether or not the negative reviews bothered her.
“It’s funny, I’m almost nervous to share my reaction,” Gaga said during an interview with Rolling Stone, published Thursday. “But the truth is, when it first started happening, I started laughing. Because it was just getting so unhinged.”
She added that the marathon of backlash eventually became agonizing to deal with, especially when it’s a project she worked hard on.
“When it takes a while for something to kind of dissipate, that can be a little bit more painful. Only because I put a lot of myself into it,” Gaga shared.
“Joker: Folie à Deux,” the 2024 sequel to 2019’s “Joker,” sparked intense reactions from audiences and critics alike, with many saying it was one of the worst films ever made. It also became a megaflop at the box office. The musical sequel continued the story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), exploring his descent into chaos and madness, this time alongside Lady Gaga’s character, Harley Quinn.
While “Joker 2” didn’t sit well with fans, she and Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” earned a collective thumbs up from audiences. She candidly shared that while making the film she was taking lithium — a drug used to treat and prevent manic episodes — after experiencing a psychotic break during her Joanne World Tour, which started in late 2017.
“I did ‘A Star Is Born’ on lithium,” Gaga said. “There was one day that my sister said to me, ‘I don’t see my sister anymore’ … And I canceled the tour.”
She continued: “There was one day I went to the hospital for psychiatric care. I needed to take a break. I couldn’t do anything … I completely crashed. It was really scary. There was a time where I didn’t think I could get better.… I feel really lucky to be alive. I know that might sound dramatic, but we know how this can go.”
