The Joker movie cast is led by Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, with Robert De Niro as talk show host Murray Franklin, Zazie Beetz as neighbor Sophie Dumond, and Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck. Todd Phillips directed both Joker (2019) and Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), where Lady Gaga joins the cast as Harley Quinn.
Who stars in Joker (2019)?
Phillips wrote the first film with Scott Silver. It opened in US theaters on October 4, 2019, and runs 122 minutes. The story works as a character study set in Gotham City before Batman exists.
- Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker
- Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin
- Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond
- Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck
- Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne
- Glenn Fleshler as Randall
- Bill Camp as Detective Garrity
- Shea Whigham as Detective Burke
- Marc Maron as Ted Marco
- Josh Pais as Hoyt Vaughn
- Leigh Gill as Gary
- Douglas Hodge as Alfred Pennyworth
- Dante Pereira-Olson as Bruce Wayne
- Carrie Louise Putrello as Martha Wayne
Which actors play the main characters?
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck
Phoenix plays a party clown and failed stand-up comic who lives with his mother in a run-down apartment block. His work won Best Actor at the 92nd Academy Awards. He dropped close to 50 pounds for the part, a change he and Phillips discussed in interviews during the press tour.
Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin
De Niro plays the late-night host Arthur watches at home. The role echoes his turn in The King of Comedy, a film Phillips cited as a reference point. Murray becomes the target of Arthur's final on-air appearance.
Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond
Beetz plays a neighbor in Arthur's building. Her scenes sit at the center of the film's biggest reveal. She returned for the sequel.
Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck
Conroy plays Arthur's mother, a former Wayne Enterprises employee with a long medical history. Her backstory drives Arthur's break from reality.
Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne
Cullen plays Bruce Wayne's father during a mayoral campaign. Thomas Wayne appears on television and on a subway platform, and both scenes shape Arthur's view of the city's elite.
Who is in the Joker: Folie à Deux cast?
The sequel landed on October 4, 2024, exactly five years after the first film. It runs 138 minutes. It adds several new faces to the roster.
- Lady Gaga as Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn
- Brendan Gleeson as Jackie Sullivan
- Catherine Keener as Maryanne Stewart
- Steve Coogan as Paddy Meyers
- Harry Lawtey as Harvey Dent
- Ken Leung as Victor Liu
- Jacob Lofland as Ricky Meline
- Bill Smitrovich as Judge Herman Rothwax
Who returned from the first film?
The sequel brings back Phoenix as Arthur, Beetz as Sophie, and Leigh Gill as Gary, the coworker Arthur spares in the apartment scene. Most of the supporting cast from 2019 does not appear in part two. That gap comes from the story, which takes place inside Arkham State Hospital and a courtroom.
How do the two casts compare?
The 2019 film builds a roster of working character actors around Phoenix, with De Niro as the one major movie star. The 2024 film leans on singers and comedians, with Gaga in the second lead and Gleeson and Coogan in supporting parts. Where the first cast plays Gotham as a real city, the second cast plays it as a stage.
FAQ
Who plays the Joker in the 2019 movie?
Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, the man who becomes the Joker. He is the only actor to play the character in both the 2019 film and the 2024 sequel.
Did Heath Ledger or Jared Leto appear in these films?
No. Ledger played the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) and Leto played him in Suicide Squad (2016). Those films sit in separate continuities from the Phillips movies.
Who plays Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux?
Lady Gaga plays Harleen Quinzel, the Arkham patient who becomes Harley Quinn. Margot Robbie played a different version of the character in the Suicide Squad films.
Is Joker: Folie à Deux a musical?
Yes, in part. The sequel uses song-and-dance numbers, many of them imagined by Arthur. It also works as a courtroom drama.
Are the Joker movies part of the DC Extended Universe?
No. Both films stand alone under a DC Black label, which means they share no continuity with the Justice League or Suicide Squad storylines. Warner Bros. distributed both.