The Joker & Harley Quinn Through The Years
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00:00The Joker and Harley Quinn have been tormenting Gotham for decades and now
00:05they have taken over E.T. I'm Cassie DeLaura and welcome to E.T.'s look at the
00:10Joker and Harley Quinn through the years. Throughout our show, E.T. will be
00:14highlighting some of the talented actors who have taken on these iconic villains
00:18from the original Batman TV series to the newest addition, Joker fully adieu.
00:30Joaquin Phoenix makes his return as Joker but this time he's not alone.
00:44Lady Gaga joins as the latest actor to take on Harley Quinn. Premiering this at
00:51the Venice Film Festival with Michael by your side, I mean how special was that
00:56moment for you? It was extremely special for us to, you know, go out as a couple
01:02together. You know, I love him so much. My mom really did good advising me. She found him for you.
01:08She found him, yeah. He's amazing. I just wanted to make sure he felt, he felt loved.
01:14Lady Gaga was solo as she surprised fans at an early screening of her new film
01:20Joker fully adieu. The movie hits theaters October 4th. Gaga embodies
01:25Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. The physical transformation in
01:30Tilly was actually really challenging. She definitely, like, has a particular
01:37affinity for darkness. She'll do bad things to get what she wants. I saw a lot
01:42of myself in her, actually, when I watched it back, but things that people don't know about.
01:45Ahead of the movie's release, Gaga dropped a companion album titled
01:54Harlequin and surprised 130 fans in London with a listening party.
01:59This is for all of your uncomfortable dinner parties. This is for all your crazy times. We hope that you won't get drunk together and have a good time.
02:12It's so good to see you again. How are you? Nice to see you. I tell you, this is the best birthday present I could ask for talking to you again. Happy birthday. Are you having a good day? I'm having the best day. Oh, yay. You know where else I'd rather be, honestly. You're spending it with me. Is Michael joining you tonight? He's, he's, you know, yes, he is. He's just not here right now. I love it. Now, singing live on this set, you know, you did it with Bradley Cooper.
02:40And now you're doing it with Joaquin Phoenix. What would you say you brought to maybe help them come out of their shell a little bit? And what did they do to help you come out of yours? You know, I feel like my relationship with Bradley was totally different from Joaquin, but there was definitely a musical element in both films.
02:57So it was really fun to bring, you know, all of my experience to the table each time. And I would say with Joaquin, like, just like reminding him that he can be just as raw with his vocals as he is with his acting. And I think that that was really, it was really special. Congratulations on this record, by the way. Thank you.
03:15Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the Joker in 2019 earned him his first Oscar. And when we sat down with him, the actor told us about a vital part of the role, the Joker's signature laugh.
03:32Murray, one small thing. Yeah. When you bring me out, can you introduce me as Joker? I had the part, but I felt like I needed to audition the laugh because I didn't know if I had it or not. So I asked Todd to come over to my house and to, you know, audition the laugh.
03:58And he said that wasn't necessary. And I said it was. It was really important that I was able to do it in front of him whenever I needed to.
04:08There were some scenes where, I guess, for whatever reason, it came out and it felt right. And other scenes that it was a struggle and sometimes one take would work and another wouldn't. It just was, I think, something that was alive in a way. And I don't know what affected that.
04:31Yeah. Come on, Murray. Do I look like the kind of clown that could start a movement? I killed those guys because they were awful. Everybody is awful these days. It's enough to make anyone crazy.
04:45One thing that everybody was talking about on these boards was about how their medication affected their weight. And some people talk about losing a lot of weight. People talk about gaining weight. And I said, let's go with the weight gain because that will be easier for me as an actor. And Todd said, no, no, no. Maybe we're going to go with the weight loss.
05:04And so it was something that I've done before. And I was I swore when I did before that I'd never do it again. But it seemed like it was really important for the character. And I think it ended up affecting me in ways that I hadn't anticipated. And certainly it affects your emotional mental state.
05:26But really, I think the thing that I didn't expect at all was how I felt like I could move my body once I'd lost all that weight. I felt like this unique control over my body and how I moved for whatever reason. I don't know why. It doesn't really make sense. Right.
05:49But somehow it kind of gave me a new, unexpected feeling. And that became really important for the character.
05:57Don't go anywhere. We've got more great content for you right here on E.T.
06:20I'm just going to hurt you really, really bad.
06:27I think the thing that I took from from Heath and from Jack and from others was how brave they were, how fearless their performances were, how they threw themselves into it and how big a risk they all took.
06:46Yeah, so that was wonderful. I'm definitely indebted to those actors for raising the bar and pushing me to work even harder.
06:59In Suicide Squad, the world was introduced not only to Jared Leto's Joker, but Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, a role Margot would go on to play two more times.
07:10There was the sequence where you were shooting Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend. But were you channeling more of like a Marilyn Monroe or Madonna material girl?
07:21A bit of both because I think there's like a bit of Harley in both. And that not only gives you an iconic moment to kind of replicate that Marilyn look on the stairs, it also meant that we all got to do dance lessons. And that was really fun.
07:39In the film, Harley has a revenge makeover after her breakup with the Joker, cutting her hair. In real life, Margot has an unusual ritual with her BFFs.
07:49Anytime a dude breaks up with a girl in the group, all the girls go and egg his car.
07:56One time I broke up with a boyfriend and they were like, how dare he? We're going to go egg him. And I was like, no, don't. I broke up with him. He's a really nice person. Please don't egg his car.
08:06Thank you. I love you guys. Don't do that.
08:08There have been many acclaimed live action performances of the Joker and Harley Quinn, but some of the most beloved portrayals have been by actors who have only used their voices.
08:39We get to ping pong a lot of like comedy and bad words and naughty business up in the animation world.
08:47And we don't have to put makeup on.
08:49No, sweatpants all day long.
08:52I need a crew.
08:54You need a shower.
08:56It's eight hours that I don't have to spend in hair and makeup.
08:59Kaley Cuoco produced and starred as Harley Quinn with Lake Bell as Poison Ivy. But beware, this cartoon is not for the kids.
09:07How dirty does it really get?
09:09Dirty.
09:11It's me. When I read the script, were you just like, yes, this is going to be the start of something huge.
09:17This is a departure for you, especially from, you know, a network show. Things are a little more family friendly.
09:22Who came up with that?
09:24You did. That's right. I did.
09:26Pretty sure this would be a departure for anyone.
09:28Yeah, I was like, why is there less of a departure for me?
09:31Really? It seems more like you.
09:34Exactly.
09:36Mostly, I don't know if people know the behind the scenes, but we don't shoot together. We don't record together.
09:42We don't even get to hang out.
09:44We just met today.
09:46I don't even know this woman.
09:48Another set secret, there was a limit on the amount of bad words they could use per episode.
09:52And you really make use of those.
09:54Oh yeah. There's often a fight.
09:55Yeah, about who gets more of them.
09:58Did Lake take the last s*** again?
10:00Will you use any of this interview?
10:02This will not air.
10:04This will not air.
10:08I got a call saying, would you be interested in auditioning for the Joker?
10:12And I thought, well sure, I mean, I'll do it, but I mean, what are the odds? I'm not going to get it.
10:16And I don't want it.
10:18The Joker's too high profile.
10:19If I was going to play a character on the series, I'd want to play Clayface or some character that nobody has a preconceived notion.
10:27And Joker is really sort of the Moriarty of Batman.
10:32I mean, he's the villain. Lex Luthor is for Superman.
10:35But lo and behold, I got it and it was really kind of fun.
10:39And now let's welcome our host, the clown prince of crime, the Joker!
10:46Got the part and six months ago, or six weeks, whatever it was, went by.
10:52I'm driving to the recording session and I can't remember what the hell the Joker sounded like.
10:57I'm on the freeway going, I'll get you! I didn't know. I mean, it was horrible.
11:02People looking over at me saw me testing out that maniacal laugh and I'm sure they called 911 or something.
11:10And people say I'm crazy.
11:13You know, at the beginning, see, they weren't really sure, you know, how scary to make him.
11:18Because he can get silly, he can get goofy, he can be intense.
11:24There's a lot of different levels there and it was for Children's Television Network.
11:29And so they would say, gee, that's a little psycho.
11:32I mean, give us a... they do an alternate where I do it lightheartedly.
11:36And, you know, there's a lot of what we call comic book fundamentalists.
11:39And they're not going to like it no matter what.
11:42You know, I get letters saying, you know, that Joker doesn't kill enough people in the series.
11:47He's not insane enough.
11:49Well, it's a cartoon series and it's in the children's lineup on Fox.
11:53So it's something that we... I mean, I'm threatened all the time.
11:56I'm all bark and no bite.
11:59Melna Rose's Batman!
12:04My wife nudged me and said, look who's at the next table.
12:06And I turned around and it was Cesar Romero.
12:09She says, go say hi to him.
12:11I said, no, he doesn't know me.
12:13No, no, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.
12:15And I thought, well, if I don't do it now, I never will.
12:19And I went up to him and I said, Mr. Romero, I'm Mark Hamill.
12:23I'm an actor and I'm playing the Joker in the animated series.
12:28And he just... you know, that energy he had.
12:31You know, people forget how well done that character was.
12:34I mean, within the context of that kind of silly series that they did,
12:39it was a comedy. It got nominated for an Emmy for best comedy.
12:43But he just lit up.
12:50I was afraid, basically, to look either at the movie or the TV series
12:57until I had a few under my belt.
12:59And you know, it was funny, I was making copies for my nieces and nephew
13:01for Christmas this year.
13:03And I put on one of the earliest ones.
13:05And I just don't like it.
13:07I mean, I can see where I made choices.
13:09By the time I got to the fifth, sixth, seventh episode,
13:12I really felt like I had him down.
13:14Trying to cheat the Joker, are you?
13:16Well, we'll see who has the last laugh.
13:19But I'm just having a blast.
13:21I mean, he's only in 20% of the episodes.
13:24See, you know, it's like my accountant is saying,
13:26well, yeah, Joker's good, but why didn't you get Alfred or Robin or Batman?
13:30You're never satisfied.
13:33The Joker first appeared in the Batman comic book in 1940.
13:38But the first actor to play the villain on screen
13:41was Cesar Romero in the 1960s Batman TV show.
13:45Forget the morals, just get us back to jail
13:48so we don't have to listen to these corny jokes.
13:51I had great fun playing the Joker in Batman, for instance.
13:56You know, which was a fun show to do,
14:00and was a very popular show in its time.
14:03It was such a great part.
14:05Well, yes, it was, but it was fun to do.
14:08Burgess Meredith, who played the Penguin, loved doing the show.
14:12He loved going around.
14:14And he's a very serious actor, always has been.
14:17He loved going around going quack, quack, quack, quack.
14:20So it was fun. We had a lot of fun doing the show.
14:23Coming up, Heath Ledger's co-stars
14:26reminisce on their time with the late actor.
14:47You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
14:51Jack Nicholson's Joker in the 1989 Batman
14:56has often been praised by actors who have taken on the role,
14:59including the late Heath Ledger.
15:01Ledger's portrayal as the Joker earned him a posthumous Oscar
15:05and the admiration of not just fans, but his co-stars as well.
15:10Heath just immersed himself completely in it,
15:15did a superb job.
15:18He gives a phenomenal performance in this.
15:20He's terrifying, but working with him was fantastic, phenomenal.
15:24He's such a professional, such a warm and gentle guy,
15:27so unlike the character he created.
15:31I thought my jokes were bad.
15:34I think he's doing something in this movie that is extremely rare,
15:39even among the greatest actors.
15:41It's extremely sad.
15:43We all got such joy from watching him do this.
15:46What have you done with him?
15:48Me?
15:51I was right here.
15:54Pretty amazing to see an actor come to set as himself,
16:00as an ordinary guy, with the makeup on and everything,
16:03and then just get into character and create this monster.
16:07It's a pretty fascinating thing for anyone who knew Heath particularly.
16:10He stayed in character when he was in his makeup,
16:12and when he wasn't, he was Heath.
16:14You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars.
16:17I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it.
16:19You know, I just do things.
16:22I had my time with Heath in the movie.
16:25I'm in kind of a paralyzed state or whatever,
16:29and I'm just watching him do his thing,
16:31and just kind of hanging on and doing my job,
16:33and admiring him at the same time.
16:35He was electric.
16:37Being around that was inspiring and fun.
16:42You know, it's like you could just do anything.
16:44You look nervous. Is it the scars?
16:46I certainly tried to help him as far as really giving him
16:49the idea of the texture of this character,
16:52what this character would be in the world of Batman Begins,
16:57and the world we'd created.
16:59I think actually, as some actors do,
17:01drew a lot from the appearance of the character.
17:03He was fascinated when he'd do wardrobe fitting,
17:05he'd start to move in a particular way.
17:07Pick up a prop, a knife, or a gun,
17:09and move it in a particular way,
17:11and he would start to find the character that way as well.
17:13Ah!
17:15Could you please just give me a minute?
17:17He made unconventional choices.
17:19I think that's where, if anything,
17:22that our business or what we do can get into the realm of art,
17:26is choices, and when someone is willing
17:29to not take the conventional path,
17:32but go out on their own,
17:34that's when things get exciting.
17:37I do feel like he loved his character.
17:39He loved to act.
17:40He loved doing this movie.
17:42He loved Chris.
17:44You complete me.
17:46You're garbage.
17:48Who kills for money?
17:50Don't talk like one of them.
17:52You're not, even if you'd like to be.
17:54I had already felt a tremendous sense of responsibility
17:56in terms of crafting his performance in the edit suite,
17:59simply because he had put so much into the character already.
18:03It's a testament to his ability as an actor,
18:05as to how far this guy, this Joker,
18:07is from who he was as a person.
18:10You know, everybody asks you about it all day,
18:13and it almost doesn't even feel real anymore,
18:16but it's so heartbreaking.
18:22That's it for The Joker and Harley Quinn,
18:25but don't go anywhere.
18:27We've got more great content for you right here on ET.
18:37.