Lady Gaga is reflecting on the polarizing reception to Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning hit Joker.

In the gritty musical courtroom drama, Gaga, 38, starred as Lee, a reimagined Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker. Despite high anticipation, the film faced a mixed response following its October release, with a 31 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and even a Razzie nomination for Gaga as "Worst Actress."

“People just sometimes don’t like some things. It’s that simple,” Gaga told ELLE in a January 28 interview. “To be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it. And you keep going even if something didn’t connect in the way that you intended.”

Gaga, who is set to release her new album Mayhem on March 7 and star in the upcoming season of Tim Burton’s Wednesday, also shared her thoughts on managing creative risks. “When a fear of failure makes its way into your life, that can be hard to get control of. It’s part of the mayhem,” she said.

Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie à Deux premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September and was seen as a bold shift from its predecessor. Gaga praised Phillips’ vision in an earlier Variety interview, saying, “He took a very big swing with this whole concept and with the script, giving the sequel to Joker this audacity and complexity.”

However, the film’s bold choices didn’t resonate with all audiences. Unlike the first Joker, which earned over $1 billion globally and garnered 11 Oscar nominations (including a Best Actor win for Phoenix), the sequel underwhelmed with $207 million at the box office and no Academy Award recognition. Even Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav acknowledged the “disappointing results” during a November investors call.

Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, has built a career as one of the most versatile and celebrated performers in entertainment. Rising to fame with her 2008 debut album The Fame and hits like “Poker Face” and “Just Dance,” Gaga quickly established herself as a pop icon. Beyond music, she’s earned accolades for her acting, including a Golden Globe for American Horror Story: Hotel and an Oscar for Best Original Song for A Star Is Born. Her role as Ally in A Star Is Born also earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Known for her bold artistic choices and willingness to take risks, Gaga continues to push boundaries in music and film, even when met with mixed responses.