SEE IT: Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga shoot ‘Joker’ scenes in Manhattan

Hundreds of angry protesters clashed outside the criminal courthouse in downtown Manhattan Sunday calling for justice for a controversial figure.

It wasn’t Donald Trump but instead the ‘Joker,’ the central character in an upcoming sequel to the box-office hit titled Joker: Folie à Deux. The movie set saw 1970’s NYPD patrol cars, TV crews and characters dressed in clothes of that era.

Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Arthur Fleck and his alter ego Joker, a renegade character who has inspired a mob against New York City’s elites, is seen locked up inside a police van that rolls up in front of the courthouse. A mob of angry protesters and supporters descend on the van shouting at the character. 

Supporters held signs that read “free joker” and “clowns unite,” while those opposed to him had signs such as “stop joker” and “false idol.”

Wearing a brown suit and tie with sunglasses, Phoenix cut an engrossed figure while walking to the set from his trailer. The Academy Award-winning actor, who is known for taking an intense approach to his roles, kept his head down at all times while being flanked by two security guards. 

Phoenix could then be seen in the van laughing at the mob as they yell at him while the cameras roll. Phoenix won an Oscar for best actor in the original 2019 movie.

Meanwhile in a different scene, Lady Gaga climbed the steps of the courthouse before planting a massive kiss on a middle-aged woman who is holding a newspaper with the headline “Crazy In Love.”

Gaga, a multi-award-winning entertainer whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, plays Joker’s love interest Harley Quinn in the movie. In the scene, she is wearing a black coat over a blue and white floral dress, along with black, diamond-patterned tights.

As Gaga walks up the steps the middle-aged woman who is against the couple shouts “you’re going to hell.” Gaga then pauses and walks back to the woman before grabbing her neck with both hands and kissing her. Gaga then skips up the steps and into the courthouse. 

The movie’s director Todd Phillips was also seen on set instructing his cast members.

The movie shoot had been planned for months. However, the production crew were concerned that filming could have been disrupted by protests pertaining to the Trump case, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg enlisting a grand jury to the courthouse last week.

It is understood that Bragg is attempting to indict Trump on charges relating to an alleged hush payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels via his former attorney Michael Cohen over an affair. Trump has denied an affair took place.

Joker: Folie à Deux is expected to be released in October 2024 and is being billed as a musical.

Joker, released in 2019, earned more than $1 billion globally and is the highest-ever-earning R-rated film. 

With additional reporting from Laura Dorgan

 

 

 

 

 

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