Actress Emma Stone has responded to the internet meme that her new movie, Cruella, is similar to Joker. When the movie's first trailer was released, online commenters remarked that Cruella's origin story in the film appears similar to Joker's from the 2019 Joaquin Phoenix film. In both stories, a regular person causes havoc and mayhem after getting slighted by a person or people in power.

　　She told Total Film with a laugh, "It's very different from Joker in many ways. I would never even remotely compare myself to Joaquin Phoenix. I wish I was more like him."

　　In the trailer for Cruella, we are introduced to a young Cruella--known then as Estella--who is criticized by Emma Thompson's character for lacking the kind of "killer instinct" required to succeed in the fashion industry. This sets off Estella, and she goes down a path that eventually leads to kidnapping dogs for their fur. In Joker, Arthur Fleck is a regular clown actor that is repeatedly looked down upon and maligned until he breaks and becomes murderous and unhinged. People are understandably connecting the two.

　　Director Craig Gillespie said Cruella is dealing with "deep, emotional things" that contribute to her transition to a villain, but this is hardly a unique phenomenon in storytelling.

　　"There are some really deep, emotional things that Cruella's dealing with that send her to the villainous darker side. So in that sense, it is [similar]," he said about comparisons to Joker. "But it's definitely its own thing. Just to sort of reframe Cruella, I thought it was important to show this darker side of her. But there's going to be a lot of fun, a lot of humor in it. There's a lot of absolutely delightful banter and rhythm to the style of it, which is different from Joker."

　　Cruella releases in theaters and on Disney Plus with Premier Access on May 28.