Ever since it was revealed in 2022 that Lady Gaga would take on the iconic role of Harley Quinn in Joker 2, we’ve been getting tiny snippets of her in character through first-look photos and her singing one of the songs featured in the sequel. With a little preview revealed of how the Oscar winner will speak in the movie, fans noticed she didn’t use Harley Quinn’s signature New York accent and the debate is on!
With Lady Gaga reportedly putting in “work” to portray Joker’s love interest, we know we’ll be in for a wild ride. Through the pop star’s music videos, going all out in her American Horror Story: Hotel performance, as well transforming as Ally in A Star is Born, you know she always brings it.
That’s all the more reason why fans were surprised when an audio clip was revealed in Discussing Film’s post that Lady Gaga speaks in her natural dialect instead of Harley Quinn’s signature Bronx dialect. An X user expressed their disappointment in the comments.
it’s just her normal voice 😭
In the audio snippet, we hear a romantic interlude in the background with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn telling Joker “You can do anything you want…you’re Joker.” But fans noticed that we’re hearing the singer/actress in her natural dialect, compared to the thick New York accent we’re used to hearing from the Gotham City villain. Of course with the lack of accent noticed, another fan on X felt the need to compare Lady Gaga’s interpretation of the character with Suicide Squad’s Margot Robbie's.
I think I would still prefer Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
With so many versions of the character in live-action and animated form, it’s natural for fans to play the “Which Version is Better” game. When Margot Robbie first joined Suicide Squad, she teased she’d have a thick Brooklyn-esque accent for the movie since the character is said to be from New York. In the case of why the Australian accent had a “Brooklyn accent” as her go-to playing Harley Quinn was because it’s just easy for her voice to do. This X gif gave a throwback to the original DC character from Batman: The Animated Series.
No one beats the original.
Something you may not know about the Suicide Squad character is that she didn’t debut in the DC Comics. The Warner Bros. Animation production, Batman: The Animated Series, was the character’s debut based on Days of Our Lives actress Arleen Sorkin. Her college friend and developer of the animated series, Paul Dini, was inspired seeing the actress play a jester in the dream sequence of the soap opera. Sorkin voiced Joker’s sidekick using her natural Brooklyn accent. So, you can thank the talented voice actress for originating the character’s signature voice. Another X post by Hollywood After Dark podcast host Matt Jarbo had an unusual comparison of his own.
Uhhhhhh ok? Is Harley Quinn starting an ASMR channel or something?
This is actually a hilarious comparison! We may not hear a New York Bronx accent coming out of Lady Gaga, but there is something very soothing about the way the “Born This Way” singer delivers her line. If you need some context to the post, ASMR is the deep relaxation you feel in your neck and scalp after hearing whispering or quiet sounds. Imagine how twisted it would be for people to hear this Joker 2 audio in their car or before they go to work to get themselves more at ease for the long day ahead. One more X response actually defended the Grammy winner’s lack of accent.
when gaga did house of gucci she got dragged for having an accent, for joker she's getting dragging for not having one pic.twitter.com/a7KBz3MEK1April 3, 2024
This X user actually makes a good point as Lady Gaga did get a lot of flack for the Italian accent she was trying to use. Even her dialogue coach wasn’t impressed, believing it sounded more Russian than anything else.
Another great point made by the post was that it seems like harsh criticism if an actress chooses not to incorporate an accent for a role. After all, Kaley Cuoco explained her hard work voicing Harley Quinn in the Max subscription series involved her not forcing a New York accent to come out. She preferred to use her own voice to take on the role more naturally. For all we know, maybe that was Lady Gaga’s intention as well.
It looks like a lot of fans were confused to hear Lady Gaga’s audio snippet of her natural dialect come into play as Harley Quinn. But, it’s important to remember that every actress makes their own choices in how they make a character their own. With the trailer for Joker 2 coming soon on April 9th, we’ll all know for sure how the triple-threat performer will really sound taking on the obsessed psychiatrist role. Don’t forget to add the 2024 movie release of Joker: Folie à Deux to your watchlist coming to theaters on October 4th.
