‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ Extras Reportedly Unhappy With Restrictions Put On Bathroom Breaks While Shooting The Film

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) gets ready for his interview with Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) in Joker (2019), Warner Bros. Entertainment

Thanks to on-set control problems, Joker: Folie a Deux has found itself suffering from an issue with ‘leaks’ — but not the kind you’d find on social media. Background actors have come forward and expressed their dissatisfaction with the film’s production, claiming to have stood around unable to go to the loo while waiting for the next shot to be ready.

Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) tells Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) that he isn’t his father in Joker (2019), Warner Bros. Entertainment

RELATED: Mark Hamill Indicates He Is Through Playing The Joker Without Kevin Conroy: “There Doesn’t Seem To Be A Batman For Me”

Complaints made by extras are trickling out and have reached the tabloid site TMZ. They report that extras were forced to work nonstop for two hours without neither a bathroom nor water break. It’s said they were “terrified” to ask for a break after seeing others get “berated” for trying. Background actors who reportedly requested a respite were told to “plead their case” to the assistant director (AD).

One extra who purportedly needed to go “terribly” was compelled to justify their plight as an emergency. Unable to take this matter with the seat lying down, the Joker 2 crew allegedly hit back by scoffing at their extras. An AD, for instance, was overheard chiding them that they never “had to go to the bathroom this much.”

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) entertains hospital patients in Joker (2019), Warner Bros. Entertainment

RELATED: Ethan Van Sciver Reacts To The Joker Becoming Pregnant In New Issue Of ‘Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing’: “DC Comics Is Getting Weirder And Weirder”

Additionally, it’s alleged the AD said “What do they even do in there? Cause they definitely aren’t using them.” Another AD would supposedly comment snidely on extras taking their break and bringing back water. “Why are you drinking more water? So you have to go pee again?” they asked one background person in a seemingly sarcastic exchange that’s getting them nowhere.

The complaints have been taken up the pipeline to the union and The Screen Actors Guild is handling the situation. SAG, according to TMZ, received an official complaint and subsequently investigated the violations of break time guidelines. The organization has addressed the tissue issue with the production and may have had some words regarding what is a recurring problem.

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) kills for the first time in Joker (2019), Warner Bros. Entertainment

RELATED: Margot Robbie On Lady Gaga Being Cast As Harley Quinn In ‘Joker: Folie A Deux’: “It’s An Honor To Have Built Such A Strong Foundation For The Character That Other Actors Can Have A Go At Playing Her”

Oddly enough, this isn’t the first instant of toilet tampering to discommode production on this film series. During the filming of the first Joker, extras were somehow locked in a subway car at the train station while filming the subway riot scene. Stuck there for three hours, they resorted to relieving themselves on the tracks – or so the story goes.

Although the story of Joker: Folie a Deux is considered a guarded secret, it’s well known at this point it costars Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn and it’s believed the film takes place mostly in Arkham. The genre might also make a sharp turn, going from a chilling character study to a jaunty musical that retells the “courtship” of Harley and Joker.

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) forces a frown in Joker (2019), Warner Bros.

NEXT: Rumor Claims Joker 2 Will Be Bloodier and More Gruesome, Lady Gaga Not Playing Harley Quinn

Share: 
Mentioned This Article:

More About: