'Joker: Folie a Deux' actor calls it 'worst film ever made' as he admits cast knew it was 'going to bomb'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Joker: Folie a Deux' was always facing an uphill battle, and even some of the cast members saw the writing on the wall, according to Tim Dillon, who made a brief appearance in the film.
He voiced his harsh criticism of the Todd Phillips-directed movie, calling it the "worst film ever made," during an appearance on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast, as per The Independent.
Tim Dillon recalls fellow cast members slamming 'Joker: Folie a Deux' on set during lunch
Tim Dillon, who portrayed a guard at Arkham Asylum, expressed his disillusionment with the sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning 'Joker,' which starred Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck (the Joker) and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.
Upon its release on October 4, the film received scathing reviews from critics, who reportedly dubbed it "stupid."
Reflecting on the filming experience, Dillon commented, "It’s the worst film ever made." He speculated that the creators, possibly aware of the controversy surrounding the first 'Joker' film, attempted to steer the sequel in a drastically different direction.
The comedian remarked, "I think what happened, after the first 'Joker', there was a lot of talk like, ‘Oh, this was loved by incels. This was loved by the wrong kinds of people. This sent the wrong kind of message. Male rage! Nihilism!'"
"All these think pieces. And then I think, ‘What if we went the other way,’ and now they have Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga tap dancing to a point where it’s insane," added Dillon.
He went on to describe the film’s lack of coherence, saying, "It has no plot." He recounted conversations he had with fellow actors on set, all of whom were dressed as security personnel at Arkham Asylum.
"We would sit there, me and these other guys were all dressed in these security outfits because we’re working at the Arkham Asylum, and I would turn to one of them and we’d hear this c**p and I’d go, ‘What the f*** is this?’ And they’d go, ‘This is going to bomb, man," recalled Dillon.
He further said, "We were talking about it at lunch, and we’d go, 'What is the plot? Is there a plot? I don’t know, I think he falls in love with her in the prison?'"
'Tim Dillon: A Real Hero' star was unequivocal in his assessment: "It’s not even hate-watchable. That’s how terrible it is."
Compared to 'Joker', which made $1 billion gross, the sequel flopped at the box office and was only able to make $58 million domestically and $204 million worldwide.
Quentin Tarantino says 'Joker: Folie a Deux' feels like it was directed by the Joker
While Tim Dillon's comments reflect a widely shared opinion, there were some prominent defenders of the film.
One of them is legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who spoke highly of the film during a podcast interview with Bret Easton Ellis, the author of 'American Psycho'.
The 'Kill Bill' director admitted he had expected to be underwhelmed by the movie, anticipating it would be more of an "intellectual exercise" than an engaging film.
However, he was pleasantly surprised.
Tarantino described his experience, saying, "I didn’t find it an intellectual exercise. I really got caught up into it."
He praised Phoenix’s performance, calling it "one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in my life."
For Tarantino, Phillips captured the essence of the Joker’s character in the making of the film. "The Joker directed the movie," remarked the 'Pulp Fiction' director.
He added, "The entire concept, even him spending the studio’s money – he’s spending it like the Joker would spend it, all right? … He’s saying f*** you to all of them. He’s saying f*** you to the movie audience. He’s saying f*** you to Hollywood."
