Joaquin Phoenix Scared Joker: Folie à Deux Costar's Mom By Appearing on Their FaceTime in Full Joker Makeup

Joaquin Phoenix seems to have lived up to his Joker: Folie à Deux the name of the character on set.

While talking to Diversity of the upcoming comic book sequel, actor Harry Lawtey said that Phoenix, 49, “suggested, as a joke, that we FaceTime my mum and scare her” during rehearsals – while the Oscar winner remained in full clown make-up for the role.

“My mom was in England, so it was quite late and she was getting ready for bed. I said, ‘Hello,’ and then I put the phone up to my face, and Joaquin put his head on my shoulder,” recalled Lawtey, 27. “My mom screamed and ran and woke my dad up.”

Lawtey, known for his role on HBO Industryplays Harvey Dent in the upcoming film, which also stars Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Zazie Beetz. The long-awaited film comes exactly five years after director Todd Phillips’ 2019 film. Jokerwhich received 11 Oscar nominations and won two, including Phoenix’s Best Actor win.

Joaquin Phoenix ‘encouraged’ Lady Gaga to ‘sing badly’ Joker 2: ‘She felt naked without’ her vibrato

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

The new film “finds Arthur Fleck institutionalized in Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as the Joker,” according to the film’s official synopsis. “While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only finds true love, but also finds the music that has always been inside him.”

Lawtey further told the outlet that Phoenix’s performance in the film was a “master class” on set every day.

Never miss a story — subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Watching him laugh and seeing the effect on him — on everyone — blew me away,” he added of Phoenix’s commitment to the role. “He would cough after every shoot. It was an education to watch him move through the different flavors and nuances of that performance.”

Joaquin Phoenix says Joker 2 Losing weight ‘seemed a bit more complicated’: ‘I probably shouldn’t do this again’

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux.

Niko Tavernis

Lawtey’s take on Harvey Dent — a character memorably played by Aaron Eckhart, Billy Dee Williams and Tommy Lee Jones in Batman movies over the years — appears to include courtroom showdowns with Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, as he said Diversity. However, Lawtey does not sing in the quasi-musical sequel.

“I think I agree with not singing in front of Lady Gaga,” he told the newspaper. “If there’s anyone in that room who should be singing, it’s her. And to get a front row seat for that was a goosebump moment.”

Joker: Folie à Deux it’s in theaters on October 4.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education