WB Never Wanted Mark Hamill for Joker, Original Actor Who Was Deemed “Too Scary” Developed Bronchitis and Dropped Out
American actor Mark Hamill has been the face of the intergalactic sci-fi franchise Star Wars ever since its inception in 1977. The 72-year-old star was introduced to the 1992 released Batman: The Animated Series with Joker. He went on to become the voice behind the iconic antagonist character. Not many people know that Mark Hamill was not the original choice for Joker.
British actor Tim Curry was supposed to voice Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, but due to a particular medical condition, the role went to Mark Hamill.
WB Never Wanted Mark Hamill As The Voice Behind Joker In Batman: The Animated Series
It is next to impossible to imagine the animated version of Joker without Mark Hamill. His spectacular performance alongside Kevin Conroy’s Caped Crusader went on to immortalize the bond between the two prominent characters. However, the Star Wars actor was not the first choice for Joker. English actor Tim Curry was supposed to voice the famous DC antagonist in the first-ever animated series of Batman in 1992.
According to an interview with the entertainment outlet ScreenGeek in 2017, Tim Curry revealed that he went on to lose the role of Joker to Mark Hamill due to a medical condition.
The Home Alone actor had even recorded dialogues for Joker but was replaced by Mark Hamill just before the series took off. The It actor confessed that he was down with bronchitis which resulted in losing the role. He said-
“I did play Joker for a while, but I had bronchitis and they fired me … and hired Mark Hamill. That’s life.”
Mark Hamill’s performance as the iconic villain became one of the major aspects behind the success of Batman: The Animated Series.
Mark Hamill Never Wanted To Voice Joker Without Kevin Conroy’s Batman
The great camaraderie between Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy was reflected in their performance. As reported by Culture Crave in 2023, Mark Hamill believes there can be no Joker without Kevin Conroy’s Batman. During a Q&A at the Fan Expo held in San Francisco, Mark Hamill spoke about his co-star and revealed that he would never want to play Joker without Conroy’s Batman. He said-
“They would call and say, ‘They want you to do the Joker,’ and my only question was, ‘Is Kevin Batman?’ If they said yes, I would say, ‘I’m in. We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me.”
He further continued to say-
“Kevin was perfection. He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him – his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery — that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner — it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.”
The award-winning animated version of Batman aired between 1992 to 1995. The Bruce Timm-led animated series was inspired by Tim Burton’s Batman. Batman: The Animated Series is still considered one of the best interpretations of the Caped Crusader.
