The cliche is that truth is often stranger than fiction. Maybe not always, but in this case, truth and fiction have a strange harmony.
The Joker is a fictional character known for his thoughts of rebellion and disobedience, if not outright anarchy and chaos. So it stands to reason that the newest film starring the Clown Prince of Crime would feature a scene with hundreds of protestors at a courthouse as police cars and television trucks observe the commotion caused over the fate of one man they either sympathize with or despise.
But doesn’t that sound familiar?
It should. The New York City shoot of the sequel to 2019’s Joker Saturday took place in the midst of real-life protests (and predicted protests) to the potential indictment of former President Donald Trump over a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The New York City shoot had been planned for months; but in recent days, production crews wrestled with the possibility that filming could be disrupted by what’s going on with Trump. In the end, said production assistant Leo Maniscalchi to the AP, they moved forward.
“They needed to do what they needed to get this done,” he said. “They can’t stop production for anything, really. The scene didn’t call for rain, but we’re still out here.”
For the past week, ever since Trump went public over the possibility of his indictment, crowds composed of media and pro-Trump groups have descended upon a city courthouse to protest. But just a block away was a competing pro and anti-abortion protest, thus giving the general location two real protests and one fictional one.
Jaymie Robinson, a 24-year-old extra from Newark, New Jersey, recounted how she heard one confused bystander wondering if it was for the film or real life. The cameras, film crew, “Free Joker” signs, and people in clown makeup should have been the giveaway, she said.
But then, for many people there is not much difference between the Joker and Donald Trump and so, the fictional and the real unite harmoniously in the end.
Filming is set to continue Sunday.
