Here’s Why Lady Gaga Doesn’t Think of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ as Being a Musical

There may be singing, dancing and eye-catching numbers in Joker: Folie à Deux, but Lady Gaga wouldn’t call it a musical.

While speaking at the Venice International Film Festival Wednesday (Sept. 4) about the upcoming sequel — in which she makes her debut as Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck — the pop star explained why she doesn’t put it in the same category as something like A Star Is Born.

“The way that we approached music in this film was very special and extremely nuanced,” she told members of the press during a panel with Phoenix and director Todd Phillips. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is actually a musical. The way that music is used is to give the characters a way to express what they need to say, because the scene and dialogue wasn’t enough.”

Phoenix and Gaga previously revealed that they sang live vocals for a majority of their performances in the film, something the “Born This Way” singer elaborated on at the festival. “The pianist that was on set with us was sort of like an actor off camera in the scene with us,” she added. “For me it was a lot about unlearning technique and forgetting how to breathe, and allowing the song to completely come out of the character.”

The festival comes a month before Folie à Deux arrives in theaters Oct. 4. The picture will center around Fleck — awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker — meeting Quinn in an institution and embarking on a whirlwind romance soundtracked by their own delusions and musical numbers.

And while Gaga may have had to dial back her own talents to make her character’s vocals sound more authentic, Phoenix was happy just to be able to keep up with the “Die With a Smile” singer. “I do seem to remember her spitting up coffee the first time I sang, so that felt good, that was exciting, and made me feel confident,” he told Empire magazine in a July interview. “Gaga was always very encouraging of just, ‘Go with what you feel, it’s fine.’ For somebody who’s not a performer in that way, it can be… uncomfortable to do that, but also very exciting.”

Watch Gaga explain why she doesn’t think of Joker 2 as a musical below.