The Joker’s Joaquin Phoenix lost three stone and watched chilling laughter clips

The Joker's Joaquin Phoenix made a few changes to his lifestyle to morph into the villain.

Joaquin admitted he "started to go mad" after losing three and a half stone for the disturbing role as Arthur Fleck.

But the actor, 44, didn't stop there as he watched videos of people suffering from crazed pathological laughter episodes.

Speaking about the preparation, the award-winning star admitted he felt "uncomfortable" performing the chilling cackle to begin with.

The Hollywood actor shared he practised alone before inviting The Joker director Todd Phillips to pick which laughter sound he should use for the character.

He told The Sun : “I practised alone but I asked Todd Phillips to come over to audition my laugh.

“I felt like I had to be able to do it on the spot and in front of somebody else. It was really uncomfortable. It took me a long time.”

He picks up the baton of playing the Joker after the likes of Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger.

Joaquin has a dark past that eerily prepared him for his latest movie role.

In 1993, he watched his brother River Phoenix die aged 23 of a drugs overdose after he was convulsing in the street.

Rising Hollywood star River had taken a lethal cocktail of heroin and cocaine before he dropped down dead outside The Viper Room nightclub on Sunset Boulevard.

Later Joaquin was catapulted into the bright and busy lights of fame as the Roman emperor Commodus in 2000 film Gladiator.

However, his rise to fame was marred with his battle with alcoholism and he checked into rehab in 2002.

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