Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips Weigh In

The alternatives made at the end of Joker: Folie à Deux are arguably the most important the reason why the movie has been so polarizing. Whereas some discover them attention-grabbing and insightful, many others find them maddening and subversive. Two individuals who do just like the ending, although, are the movie’s co-writer and director Todd Phillips and its star Joaquin Phoenix, and in a brand new interview, the pair spoke in detail about the ending.

Speaking to IGN, Phillips and Phoenix mentioned Arthur’s selection to depart behind Joker—together with the truth that he dies, and the one who kills him. Let’s begin with the concept of what these motion pictures have been about in a bigger sense which, as you’ll learn, speaks to the one who kills Arthur on the finish of the movie.

“One of many issues that individuals by no means understood concerning the first film was, ‘I don’t get it. He visits Bruce Wayne and he’s 30 years older than Bruce Wayne. What sort of geriatric Joker goes to combat sooner or later?’” Phillips mentioned. “I don’t know for those who’ve ever noticed the script of the primary film. The primary movie known as Joker. It’s not known as The Joker, it’s known as Joker. And the primary movie beneath the script all the time mentioned ‘An origin story.’ By no means mentioned ‘THE origin story.’ It was this concept that perhaps this isn’t THE Joker. Perhaps that is the inspiration for the Joker. So, in essence on the finish of this film, the factor you’re being left with is ‘Wait, what’s that factor occurring behind him? Is that the man?’”

Okay, we guess that is sensible. It does additionally associate with Phillips concept of Arthur’s mindset on the finish of the movie proper earlier than he’s murdered. “I feel Arthur has discovered peace with the concept, with the wrestle that it’s okay to be your self,” Phillips mentioned. “And that’s actually what he’s all the time struggled with, you already know what I imply? I wish to assume he died at peace in a method being himself. The child says to him, ‘You need to hear a joke?’ And although he thinks perhaps it’s [Lee waiting to visit him] downstairs. We don’t even know what’s downstairs, however that form of optimism that Arthur has, that’s nonetheless in him. He’s like, ‘Properly, yeah, okay, after all’ as a result of he is aware of that feeling of desirous to make any person snicker. So he offers the child that second, proper? Clearly it goes dangerous as a result of, once more, every thing goes dangerous for Arthur, however I all the time assume that’s such a wonderful second the place it’s like Arthur nonetheless has hope.”

Phoenix echoed these sentiments. “There’s a heat in that scene, which is good,” the Oscar winner mentioned. “That’s all that I used to be occupied with that I used to be after, is right here’s this younger man who’s telling me a joke and he’s nervous to inform me the joke, I can inform that he’s nervous, and I’m going to listen to him out. And it’s a fairly good setup.”

So, mainly, Phillips is saying the movies are a few man who goes by a journey to search out himself, lastly does, and dies within the course of. Then, alongside the way in which, he conjures up others to take his persona to the subsequent stage and, nicely, we’ll see the place it goes from there.

For those who’d wish to learn extra from Phillips and Phoenix, head over to IGN. Joker: Folie à Deux is now in theaters.

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