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SYFY WIRE Joker

Step by step, the stairs from Joker have become a popular spot for fans in New York

By Josh Weiss
Joker

While Todd Phillips' Joker was surrounded by a major controversy before it hit theaters a few weeks back, the dark origin story for Gotham City's most famous bad guy is well on its way to achieving the title of highest-grossing R-rated movie in history.

Since the project filmed a lot of its scenes on location in New York and New Jersey last fall, fans are eagerly seeking out the real-world sets that are fast becoming iconic in the world of cinema. For example, viewers are flocking to the rain-slicked flight of stairs in the Bronx on which Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix) dances to the Garry Glitter "Hey" song just before he heads over to his guest spot on Murray Franklin's talk show (hosted by Robert De Niro).

Some folks are even going the extra mile by dressing up in Fleck's clown makeup and three-piece suit before they snap a photo of themselves dancing. Per CinemaBlend, the stairs, which featured prominently in all of Joker's marketing materials, "connect Shakespearean and Anderson Avenues at West 167th Street."

"We always have a very keen plan of what we’re seeking out to do. We have some shots that we know, even from prep, that we wanna do. We picked those stairs that he walked up to get to his house early in the prep. Certainly we knew how we were gonna photograph those shots well in advance," the movie's cinematographer, Lawrence Sher, told SYFY WIRE. The DP also helped us weigh in on the dialogue over whether the finished product could incite violence in others.


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