With one of the most iconic roles in the fantasy world, Mark Hamill’s talent as Luke Skywalker is just the tip of the iceberg. However, he got tired of becoming the hope of the universe as he wanted anarchy and wanted to watch the world burn, as he voiced one of the most iconic Batman villains, The Joker. Hamill is an iconic voice actor who brings pure raw talent to the table, bringing the animated character to life.
However, when the casting decision of Mark Hamill was announced, he was loathed by the fans as they doubted his abilities to bring the Joker to life. Nevertheless, the Child’s Play actor channeled all that hatred to give the best Joker performance that has converted all his haters into his ardent fans.
Mark Hamill On Getting The Role of The Joker
Mark Hamill had consistently voiced the Joker for nearly 30 years, with several animated projects for DC Studios, the first being Batman: The Animated Series. Ever since then, the character has become a fan favorite as he has been featured in other DC features such as Justice League and Superman: The Animated Series. However, Hamill was immensely nervous about getting the role of the Joker as DC fans were displeased with the casting news.
During an exclusive interview with WIRED, Mark Hamill shared how a “big outcry” took place over Michael Keaton’s casting as Batman, and he had his fair share of doubts. However, he was confident that he would bag the role, but the DC executives would not hire him. He said,
“I just read for it and I had a confidence that really helped me because there was this big outcry that Michael Keaton was gonna 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 gonna hire Luke Skywalker to play the Joker? The fans will lose their minds.”
Hamill added,
“I was so sure that I couldn’t be cast. I was completely relaxed. A lot of times there’s performance anxiety cuz you want the part. Here, I knew I couldn’t get the par, so who cares? And Idrove outta the parking lot thinking that’s the best Joker they’ll ever hear. And it’s too bad they can’t cast me. And as soon as they did cast me that reversed, I was like, oh no, I can’t do this.”
Mark Hamill had his fair share of fun as he channeled all the hatred into voicing the Joker, and he said how it’s “one of my favorite character to play because he’s insane, and because he’s insane he’s never boring.” Nevertheless, the portrayal was so outstanding that it earned him a dedicated DC fan base.
Mark Hamill Shares How He Does The Joker Laugh
In the same interview, Hamill shared that whenever he makes a trip to the grocery store or in a toy store, fans ask him to do the iconic Joker laugh. Naturally, fans were curious about how he does it so effortlessly. The actor said,
“Well, first of all you have to warm up. It’s like a car engine. If you just rip it’ll hurt your throat. And plus there’s no subtle way to do it.”
He added how he would get a look from the public as he would comply with the wishes of his little fans who demand him to “Do the laugh.”
“So I’m standing in Toys “R” Us laughing maniacally and people are like casting me worried looks like, ‘What’s that old man doing to that poor 10 year old kid?’ But I do asked to it a lot.”
This instance shows how Mark Hamill has made an impeccable effect in the hearts of the DC fans, as they have crowned him as the best Joker as his performances in the DC animated series remain evergreen.
Batman: The Animated Series can be streamed on Max.
