Stefani Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga, has been known for her musical prowess since the late 2000s. However, she is fast becoming just as acclaimed for her acting.
Her next on-screen turn casts her opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie a Deux, the sequel to 2019 Oscar-winning film Joker. Taking on the role of Harley Quinn, a psychiatrist who falls in love with the Joker and quickly becomes obsessed with him, Gaga is stepping into the shoes of Kaley Cuoco and Margot Robbie, who have portrayed the role before her.
Here, we look back at Gaga’s acting career, the path that let her to Oscar glory and headlining a highly anticipated sequel.
2000s: The Sopranos and Gossip Girl cameos
In 2001, HBO’s The Sopranos was the biggest show on television. Following the trials and tribulations of Tony Soprano during reluctant therapy sessions, as he heads a New Jersey mafia operation.
The show launched many careers, but one that often goes unnoticed is a brief cameo appearance in 2001. Featuring in season three, episode nine, a 15-year-old Gaga appears in a party scene. Her appearance is short, sweet and largely uncited, but has probably become a popular quiz question.
Seven years later, in 2008, Lady Gaga would arrive on the music scene with her hit single Just Dance which took the charts by storm.
A year later, in 2009, as her career was taking off, Gaga made another television appearance with a turn on Gossip Girl. On season three, episode 10, Gaga featured as herself, performing her song Bad Romance in a memorable scene.
2013: Machete Kills
Gaga’s first proper acting role came in 2013 when she starred in Machete Kills, the sequel to 2010’s Machete. The film, directed by Robert Rodriguez, is a homage to 1970s action films and boasted a cast that included Mel Gibson, Jessica Alba, Amber Heard, Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara and Charlie Sheen.
Gaga was one of four actors who portrayed a character named La Camaleon, or The Chameleon, an assassin sent to kill the titular Machete (Danny Trejo). Alongside Gaga, the character was also played by Walton Goggins, Antonio Banderas and Cuba Gooding Jr.
2014: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
A year later, Gaga worked with Rodriguez again, with a role in another sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. The film wasn't as critically well received as the 2005 original, but Gaga joined a star-studded cast that included Mickey Rourke, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Rosario Dawson.
The film is neo-noir crime film in the style of gritty comic books, presented in black and white with flourishes of colour. In the film, Gaga appears in one scene playing a cafe waitress named Bertha.
2015-2016: American Horror Story
Gaga returned to television in 2015 when she portrayed The Countess on the fifth season of the popular horror anthology series American Horror Story. The season, subtitled Hotel, took place in a haunted hotel with ghosts and unnatural being roaming its many floors.
Gaga appeared in all 12 episodes of the fifth season and showed her acting ability with a role that moved beyond a brief cameo. She also returned for three episodes of season six, subtitled Roanoke, featuring as bloodthirsty immortal witch, Scathach.
2018: A Star Is Born
Some roles feel tailor made for certain people. In A Star Is Born, the story of a talented singer who is spotted by a country musician who sees her potential and decides to support her career, Gaga stepped into her shining role.
The film stars Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliot, Andrew Dice Clay and Dave Chappelle and is directed by Cooper himself. This was not the first time this story was told on film, it was in fact the fifth adaptation of the story, the first of which was in 1937, starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. There have been two remakes since, as well as a Bollywood film inspired by the story. The 1954 A Star Is Born starred Judy Garland; the 1976 adaptation starred Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson and 2013's Aashiqui 2 featured Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor.
The 2018 take made more than $400 million in ticket sales worldwide against its $36 million budget, and received eight Oscar nominations, with Gaga nominated for both her acting as well as Best Original Song for Shallow. She took home the golden statue for the musical award.
2021: House of Gucci
After her immense success with A Star Is Born, Gaga was cast in Ridley Scott’s film House of Gucci, which tells of the rise and fall of the family behind one of the most well-known luxury brands in the world.
Gaga stars as Patrizia Reggiani, the wife of Adam Driver’s Maurizio Gucci. The film also starred Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Salma Hayek. Gaga steals the show with her portrayal of Reggiani, a character who plots and connives to have bigger influence on her husband and the luxury empire he inherited. Gaga received a number of award nominations for her role, including Bafta and Critics' Choice Movie Awards nods.
2024: Joker: Folie a Deux
Much like A Star Is Born, Gaga has found herself playing another role she seems to be born to play. In Joker: Folie a Deux, Gaga takes on the role of Harley Quinn, a beloved DC character, who was first introduced in Batman: The Animated Series but has since become a fan favourite.
The film, directed by Todd Phillips, is being touted as a musical and was screened at the Venice Film Festival in September, where it earned an 11-minute standing ovation from the crowd.
On the red carpet ahead of the screening, Gaga revealed that the singing in the film was done live and not in a studio, saying: “For me it was kind of about unlearning technique and forgetting how to breathe and allowing the song to come completely out of the character. It gives the characters a way to express what they need to say.”
Joker: Folie a Deux is in cinemas from October 3
