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Joker's Zazie Beetz Answers Whether Arthur Fleck Killer Her Character
Actress Zazie Beetz answers whether or not her character in Joker was killed by Arthur Fleck. Beetz plays Sophie Dumond in the DC film, a single mother living in the same apartment building as Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck, aka Joker. Written and directed by Todd Phillips, Joker was a massive hit, pulling in $1 billion worldwide and winning two Oscars, including Best Actor for Phoenix.
Fleck has a fascination with Sophie after a brief exchange with her in the elevator, imagining that they are a couple when in reality, they are total strangers. He later goes to her apartment unannounced, and the camera cuts away, never revealing what happened, only showing him storm off with Beetz's character never seen in the film again, suggesting that Fleck murdered her. Phillips has said in the past that Joker did not kill Sophie, but speculation has still persisted given the way events unfold in the film.
In an interview with THR the topic of Sophie's fate in Joker was brought up yet again to Beetz, who gives her own answer as to what she believes transpired. The actress says that in her mind Sophie survives, as "she never actively wronged Arthur." She explains that most of his victims "pointedly hurt him." Beetz suggests that Arthur's actions were more geared toward "certain people and then society at large" and that Sophie was more of a bystander than anything else. Here's her full comment:
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Yeah, in my mind, she lives because she never actively wronged Arthur. His victims in the film were generally people that pointedly hurt him. Even within the horror of his realization around his own state of mind, he acknowledges that she’s more of a bystander to his situation than an actor to his situation. So, to me, it made sense that she wouldn’t be harmed by him because his harm was intentional towards certain people and then society at large, which he also felt wronged by in a way. So in my mind, she makes it out unscathed, at least physically. (Laughs.)
Given the tremendous success of the film, Phillips is set to return for a sequel, this time approaching it as a musical, called Joker: Folie A Deux, which will co-star Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. It's unclear if Beetz will return for the sequel, although it's entirely possible. Joker's ending had Arthur committed to Arkham, where he seemingly continued his murderous ways after killing Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro), but speculation continues as to how much of Joker is real or imagined.
Despite Phillips and now Beetz saying that Sophie was not killed by Fleck in Joker, viewers still continue the debate, as it could be argued that Joker's victims were more random than anything. He killed co-workers, subway thugs, a TV show host, and his mother, acts which he seemed to enjoy and get a thrill out of to some degree, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that he would kill Sophie. It will be interesting to see how Fleck's journey continues in Joker: Folie A Deux, which may or may not offer more clarification on the state of Arthur Fleck's real or imagined victims.
