'Joker 2' Cinematographer: Lady Gaga Was So Immersed in Her Character, It Feels Like I ‘Never Even Met Her’

Lady Gaga had her “Poker Face” on while filming Joker: Folie à Deux.

Joker cinematographer Lawrence Sher revealed on The Trenches Talk podcast that he initially felt disconnected from Lady Gaga — who he referred to by her real name, Stefani Germanotta — during the early stages of making the anticipated sequel.

“I didn’t know Stefani at all,” Sher said. “And strangely, I felt like I never even met her, even during the makeup/hair tests. And again maybe it was my philosophy of not trying to get in their space.” 

“And then I remember for a week, being like, ‘God, I feel like we are disconnecting. Not even connecting. We are, like, on opposite [sides],’” he explained. “And I would say to my crew, ‘Jesus, I can’t crack it. She either hates me or we hate each other or there’s something weird going on here.’”

He said he would still communicate with her to tell her “minor little things” like where her second team was located, but never had much interaction beyond that. However, that all changed when he started calling her by a nickname she had given herself on set.

"... The AD at one point said, ‘Oh you know, Stef would like if you just called her Lee on set.’ And I was like, 100%,’” Sher said. 

“And the next thing I said was something ‘Lee,’ and it was like everything changed,” he continued. “From that point on, it was like… our whole connection changed. I was like ‘Well, alright, cool. That's all I needed to know.’ And that changed everything.”

He said their connection then grew over the course of filming the movie and, by the end, they had been united through doing “this thing together that was joyous and fulfilling.”

In April, the House of Gucci star announced she wrapped up filming on the new movie by sharing a post showing new photos of the new film. Director Todd Phillips and movie lead Joaquin Phoenix also shared the same snaps from the film.

Gaga shared a photo of herself staring into the camera while wearing light clown makeup, and captioned the photo: "That's a wrap ❤️‍🔥 🎬🃏 X, Harleen."

"That's a wrap. Thanks to these two (+ the entire cast) and the BEST crew that the film industry has to offer. From top to bottom," Phillips wrote in a caption to his post, which also featured Phoenix's Arthur Fleck / Joker in full makeup and costume, tilting his head to the right in a seated position.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

The “Rain on Me” singer was seen filming scenes for the project at the staircase connecting Shakespeare and Anderson avenues at West 167th Street in the Bronx that Phoenix's title character memorably boogied down in the 2019 blockbuster. 

She was also spotted filming additional scenes with extras at Manhattan's City Hall while wearing an ensemble composed of a red jacket, a black and white patterned blouse, a black skirt and mesh black leggings.

Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled to be released in theaters on Oct. 4, 2024.