Smile, You’re on Candid Camera
When you hire a method actor like Joaquin Phoenix, you can expect some spectacular improvisations. He is serious about his craft and boy, was he serious about playing the infamous Joker.
In the opening scene, you find Arthur Fleck putting on his clown make-up for his show when he plunges into a brief madness. Fleck forces a smile when a teardrop slips down his cheek, smearing his eye makeup. The tear wasn’t planned and soon became one of the stand-out scenes in this remarkable origin film.