It was the biggest question coming out of the Joker movie: did Arthur kill Sophie during the final act? While the film’s cinematographer has already given the answer, director Todd Phillips has revealed that they filmed a scene explicitly outlining what happened to the Clown Prince of Crime’s ‘girlfriend.’
“He doesn’t kill her,” Phillips reaffirms to IndieWire. He confirms that in an earlier version of the Joker script, which was leaked online, “we had [Sophie] watching Murray Franklin,” presumably during Arthur’s late-night debut and after the failed stand-up entered her apartment.
So, why was it left on the cutting room floor? Phillips said it was solely a creative decision: “We made a choice in the film to only show everything from Joaquin’s perspective. We cut out a great scene with Marc Meron and Bob De Niro that didn’t involve Joaquin because it didn’t involve Joaquin. Everything was being told from his point-of-view and perspective. So, to suddenly cut to this woman – it would literally change the DNA of the film.”
Phillips also describes the scene where Joker breaks into Sophie’s apartment – and her unseen fate – as “a little bit of a litmus test for an audience to say, ‘Ok, how crazy is he?’ and most people I have spoken to believe he didn’t kill her.”
Joaquin Phoenix himself has previously stated that his “favourite scene, what both [himself and director Todd Phillips] thought was my best scene because of a particular take, that scene is not in the movie.”
There are now a handful of Joker deleted scenes that we know of. The home release can’t come soon enough.
Have any more questions? Chances are, we've covered them in our Joker ending breakdown.
