Man with laughing condition like The Joker accused Joaquin Phoenix of stealing his persona

'You took my identity, and you put it on the screen and made millions'

A man with a laughing condition like the Joker's has slammed the 2019 movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, claiming that the actor stole his persona. For many, 2019's The Joker was a standout addition to the DC universe, with many celebrating the Puerto Rican actor for doing what Phoenix's do best, coming back to life, or in this case, the limelight. While Scott Lotan thinks that Phoenix did "a great job" about portraying the character, he has taken issue with Phoenix and director Todd Phillips for not using their platform to educate people. Lotan suffers from the same disorder as Phoenix's Arthur Fleck,  which often sees him experiencing painful and exhausting laughing episodes. They can last as long as 10 minutes. Lotan's condition is a symptom of his multiple sclerosis (MS) and often comes on at the worst times, most notably when his mother and fiancée were killed in a car crash. "OK, Joaquin, you don't eat meat, you want to protect all the animals - what about the people?" the 50-year-old told LADbible. "I mean, you stole my persona. You took my identity, and you put it on the screen and made millions, and you can't help a community? You can't donate to MS or Parkinson's or any of these other things? I don't get it." He added: "I've seen the interviews with Todd Phillips, I've seen the interviews with Joaquin, and they make reference to the videos, and that laughter, and how it helped develop the actual character." Ultimately Lotan feels like Phillips and Phoenix should've done "something for the community." "The reality is, when you look at my videos on YouTube and you watch that movie, you think about my storyline, that you guys did a write-up with. It kind of helped form the character, the Joker itself," he further explained. Joker: Folie à Deux will release in 2024, with Phoenix reprising the titular role alongside Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.

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