For over 30 years, Mark Hamill voiced DC’s Clown Prince of Crime in varied endeavors, starting from the very beloved Batman: The Animated Series. Although the likelihood of the Star Wars actor ever returning to the role is minimal in light of Kevin Conroy’s passing, there’s one person to thank behind his iteration of the Batman arch-nemesis coming into existence in the first place.
And funnily enough, it almost seems fateful that it was none other than Michael Keaton, one of the actors who embodied The Caped Crusader in live-action films, albeit to initial flak.
In an interview, Hamill recollected how Keaton’s then-contentious selection to play Batman at the time helped him contend for the voice-acting role of the Joker.
The controversy proved to be a boost to his confidence, as Hamill himself felt assured that, much like the Beetlejuice actor whose Batman gig faced initial resistance owing to his stature in comedic endeavors, his Luke Skywalker stint would prove limiting in his ability actually snag the part!
As we now know, Hamill couldn’t be the farthest from his deductions.
Michael Keaton’s Batman Casting Controversy Helped Mark Hamill Land Joker Role
Speaking with WIRED, Mark Hamill, star of the Star Wars franchise, delved into the details surrounding his voice-acting stint as the Joker. In answering how he landed the role, the 72-year-old commented, “I just read for it.” He then expounded on the reason (or rather, the person) that prompted him to audition in the first place, despite believing he wouldn’t land the job at the time.
It was Michael Keaton—specifically, the controversy surrounding his casting for Tim Burton‘s 1989 Batman. Although the Birdman star’s iteration of The Dark Knight now enjoys a refined status among fans of the DC franchise, there was a time when it wasn’t met with warmth or enough consideration.
In fact, the resistance from comic-book fans had been powerful enough to warrant 50,000 complaint letters sent to Warner Bros. headquarters, according to reports. This was mainly in fear of a campy, 1960s TV series-esque take on Batman hitting the big screen, as Keaton was then renowned for comedic roles, such as ones in Mr. Mom (1983) and Johnny Dangerously (1984).
Nobody could quite see Keaton filling in the shoes of the brooding cowl-donning crime-fighting vigilante.
They would, of course, be proven wrong later on with an interpretation of the DC superhero that is widely hailed as one of the most unique and layered. Nevertheless, the initial outcry proved beneficial for at least one person. And that was Mark Hamill.
Recollecting the sudden surge of self-assurance that he found within himself back then, the actor said:
“I had a 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 [in the role], and they didn’t realize how great he would become. But, there was great controversy.”
This controversy had alleviated some of the pressure off Hamill’s shoulders as he was convinced his history with the Star Wars franchise wouldn’t permit a place among DC enthusiasts’ hearts. He commented, “I went in [for the role of Joker], I thought, ‘You think they’re going to hire Luke Skywalker to play the Joker? The fans will lose their minds!’”
Feeling positive he wouldn’t be chosen, Hamill found it easier to breeze through the audition procedure. The aftermath of which, history tells us, completely reversed any preconceptions Hamill may have held.
Mark Hamill Only Felt Nervous Once He Landed The Voice-acting Role Of Joker
Mark Hamill elaborated on his experience shortly before getting selected for the part, stating that he felt assured and “relaxed” as he believed he “couldn’t be cast.” Since the veteran actor wholeheartedly entertained the possibility of not snagging the gig, he didn’t deem reading for the part to be a nerve-wracking experience. He stated:
“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.’”
To his immense astonishment, he was crowned the ideal candidate to portray the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series. Ironically, that’s precisely when the nerves started kicking in for the star. He recollected, “As soon as they did cast me, [my confidence] reversed. I was like, ‘Oh no, I can’t do this!’”
Of course, we all know that he did do it, and he did so impeccably alongside late star Kevin Conroy‘s The Dark Knight. On the joys of playing the Clown Prince of Crime across various DC projects, Hamill commented:
“It’s really one of my favorite characters to play because he’s insane, and because he’s insane, he’s never boring. It’s fun to play a character who creates chaos everywhere he goes.”
While Hamill’s Joker has enjoyed a respected stature and tenure, he suggested last year that he wouldn’t take on the role again without longtime voice-acting partner Conroy. The latter, unfortunately, passed away in 2022. The Star Wars alum was seen citing the following line at the 2023 Fan Expo San Francisco (via ComicBook.com):
“Without Batman, crime has no punchline.”
Fans can catch one last outing of the iconic Batman-Joker pair voiced by Conroy and Hamill in the upcoming Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three, which has no reported release date yet but is expected to drop this year.
