Joaquin Phoenix is having a hard time defining

the Joker, but then again, he doesn’t really

want to.

The actor spent eight months exploring how a

struggling stand-up comedian named Arthur

Fleck becomes Batman’s antagonist, the villain

with a chilling laugh and a love of chaos.

Preparing for the role involved losing quite a bit

of weight, studying personality disorders and

practicing the laugh over and over again.

“(It’s) very difficult to distill into a soundbite,”

Phoenix said Saturday in advance of the world

premiere of “Joker” at the Venice International

Film Festival. The film is competing for the

Golden Lion award at the prestigious festival

beforelaunchingintheatersonOct.4.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX

DISCUSSES

PREPARING FOR

ROLE IN ‘JOKER’

Image: Theodore Parisienne