Sometimes… I let my passions combine in ways that… I should probably keep to myself. BUT with new Batman content on the horizon, I allowed my mind to combine acting and my knowledge of Batman again.
REGARDING THE JOKER
Obviously, as a man of taste, my favorite Joker depiction is Mark Hamill. Hands down. No contest. As Kevin Conroy (RIP) became Batman for a generation, and a generation spoiled with contenders, so too did Mark become The Joker. But… people will say… excluding all of the voice over Jokers… what do you think of the actors?
I have learned without exception that this question, either through intent or ignorance, leaves out Joker Depictions. This isn’t a detailed deep dive of Cesar Romero or Roger Stoneburner or Nathan Dashwood or even Barry Keoghan (at least not yet). They also rarely mean Joaquin Phoenix or Cameron Monaghan or Jared Leto. And to that? So much the better. Technically speaking Joaquin didn’t play THE Joker and Cameron Monaghan wasn’t technically allowed to call himself The Joker as The Joker’s origin requires Batman. And, as ever, the less said about Jared Leto the better!
No. When people ask “excluding all of the voice over Jokers… what do you think of the actors?” they almost always want to discuss Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger.
And here’s where it gets controversial and upsetting.
Jack Nicholson pretty clearly played “What if The Joker was an unhinged Jack Nicholson?” which technically isn’t a bad direction to go! An unhinged, charismatic, cool guy with violent tendencies? That’s a worthwhile depiction of The Joker. But… he never struck me as… comic book. Which… most live action movies passionately veer away from seeming Comic Book but… the Joker was truly invented to demolish that aversion. That’s the whole point of The Joker. In a world where everything is dark and gritty and serious- out comes the Joker who is bright and polished and unserious… while doing terrible terrible things. As much IN THE SHADOWS as Batman is- The Joker is OUT AND PROUD.
I think Jack’s Joker can be cut into the vignette’s he’s in. Joker coming out to Boss Grissom? That’s 95% Jack, 5% Joker. And I think you can go through the whole move doing percentages like that. Again, not to say he didn’t do an amazing job for that part at that time. Just… undeniably “What if The Joker was Jack Nicholson” character work.
Heath Ledger? I’m not going to be the asshole that says he didn’t act the shit out of that role, because he absolutely did. And after repeat viewings, I did see a glimpse of my Joker coming out of him… but at first blush? This was “What if the Joker was clearly ex-military intelligence and lost his mind to heroin and PTSD?” THAT is what Ledger gave us. AGAIN- not terrible. The Joker is famously however anybody wants to write him or act him and Heath did absolutely act the shit out of that film! I also think it is hilarious that the little licking motion his Joker does came from the actor worried about the prosthetics and that is such an “actor” thing to do. “The prosthetics feel weird and I’m worried they’ll come off. It compels me to do this weird thing with my mouth and… y’know what? I’m using it. I’m using it, everybody. This is now part of my characterization!” Heath tried to sell moments of GLEE but had to play it… more reserved for most of the film… due to Nolan’s Universe trying desperately to say, “We’re not in comic books!” The two times I see The Joker best? Joker at the Hospital and Joker Upside Down. Even still, those scenes have definite Heroin-Chic Joker to them. The dismal and the humdrum and the “I’m a silly edge lord” kind of play to it. But I appreciate why Ledger was doing that and how he was blending the character he researched into the world the script gave him.
So, invariably comes the, “Okay so… you say your Joker… what does that look like?”
And… this isn’t helpful.... but if I was trying to describe The Joker in the abstract to help an actor find that character?
Any time there’s pain- smile. Internal pain, mental pain, actual pain- smile. Any time something terrible happens- laugh. A person gets their hand cut off in a circular saw accident, a government building with 2,000 people in it blows up- laugh. Because THAT’S the joke! The world is pain, and torture, and misery and everyone goes about their day acting like it’s not. Every single person on this planet is going to die. Today, tomorrow, next week. And every single person on this planet knows it. But it still comes as a surprise. It’s still a shock! Every human throughout history has gone through this and yet… oh no, this thing that was absolutely going to happen happened! THAT is why the One Bad Day narrative. WHOEVER The Joker used to be… he was another person performing life. Pretending that the big joke that gets us all wasn’t inevitable. But after One Bad Day, he could see beyond the veil… he could see the funny! A person sacrifices everything they have to stave off death? THAT’S funny! Death is still going to happen. That’s like putting a dog into a tuxedo; it’s hysterical! And that’s why there’s a deep sense of respect to Batman because he knows! Batman had a bad day once and saw past the veil. Which compels the Joker to ask WHY ISN’T HE LAUGHING?! He sees the futility and the nonsense. Just like The Joker, Batman had a day that changed him and both of them get to say “Everyone in the world is just performing- and if everyone in the world is merely performing then the freest thing you can do is to CHOOSE your performance!” And it doesn’t have to be consistent so long as YOU are making the choice! And every time you tell The Joke, it’s funny! Setting a fire engine on fire? FUNNY. Poisoning postage stamps? FUNNY! There’s laughter in turning people’s every day into what they didn’t expect but should have expected at some point!
And if that isn’t “Find absolute GLEE in terrible things” for you? I point you to a joke in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. Joker had hostages. He was on the phone talking to Batman and letting him verify that the hostages were alive. As one of the hostages spoke to Batman she started to discuss her dreams- she wanted to be an artist. As she’s talking you hear the steady whir of some kind of a device. Turns out it is a pencil sharpener. The Joker was sharpening a pencil. After the pencil is sharp enough for his tastes, he suggests to Batman that he’s going to put that pencil through The Artist’s Eye. NOW here’s where the analysis comes in. First: No, he didn’t actually do it. It was April 1st and The Joker thought it would be funnier to make Batman (and the victim) panic without actually going through with it. BUT Second: Any other day, he would have gone through with it and thought it a fantastic joke. She’s an ARTIST. Her eyes are important to her to achieve her dreams. Plus, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So using a pencil (an art tool) to stab her in the eye is fucking hysterical. And if you can find the funny in that? You’re a lot closer to being able to depict the character!
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