Of course, multiple generations recognize Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. However, for many 1990s kids and beyond, Hamill is also the person they think of when it comes to The Joker in the DC Animated Universe. However, before scoring his role in Batman: The Animated Series, the Star Wars alum looked to another 1980s star – Michael Keaton – for inspiration, and explained how his Batman performance influenced his Joker audition.
The Luke Skywalker actor opened up about Keaton's Batman’s influence as he answered the internet’s most burning questions about him in the Wired Autocomplete Interview. While generations of Batman fans call Michael Keaton their Caped Crusader, that wasn’t always the case. Hamill opened up about how the Mr. Mom star overcame some initial backlash, and revealed how the actor's experience gave him the confidence to audition for The Joker.
I had confidence that really helped me because there was this big outcry that Michael Keaton was going to play Batman. ‘Oh he’s Mr. Mom, he’s a comedy actor.’ I mean they hadn’t even seen him, and they didn’t realize how great he would become. But there was great controversy. So, when I went in, I thought ‘You think they’re going to hire Luke Skywalker to play the Joker? The fans will lose their minds.’ I was so sure that I couldn’t be cast, I was completely relaxed.
Despite the excitement surrounding Keaton putting on the cape and cowl once again in the second The Flash trailer, his initial casting faced some pushback from comic book fans. Before Batman, he was known more for his comedic performances in films like Mr. Mom and Night Shift. The comic book faithful were scared he wouldn’t embrace the edgy darkness of the Dark Knight. Fortunately, Keaton sealed the deal upon the first movie’s release.
Thankfully, the Oscar nominee’s reception paved the way for Mark Hamill. He was optimistic about his chances to land The Joker, but he still had a bit of apprehension before his audition. He felt being typecast as Luke Skywalker would stop him from landing the voice role. That still didn’t stop him from going all in to play Batman’s most prominent archnemesis though, as he explained:
A lot of times there’s performance anxiety because you want the part. Here I knew I couldn’t get the part, so who cares? I drove out of the parking lot thinking ‘That’s the best Joker they’ll ever hear, and it’s too bad they can’t cast me.’
Well, Hamill was wrong… and he landed the iconic role. However, after scoring the voice role, he almost passed it up feeling like he couldn’t do it. After playing the Crown Prince of Crime for three decades, the 71-year-old actor referred to the DC supervillain as his favorite role since The Joker is “insane,” which makes “him never boring” because he creates “chaos wherever he goes.” As expected, the movie icon gets asked to perform The Joker’s laugh all the time by fans of all ages.
As fans wait for more Joker performances, Mark Hamill is currently promoting the comedy film The Machine, which is in theaters right now. Moviegoers will get to see Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight once more when The Flash hits theaters on June 16. Also, while we wait for various other DC TV shows and movies to come out, you can watch Batman: The Animated Series and 1989’s Batman by Max subscription.
