Mark Hamill says Michael Keaton’s role as Batman encouraged him to audition for Joker

Mark Hamill’s role as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series it might not have happened if it weren’t for Michael Keaton’s Caped Crusader.

In a recent interview with wired, THE Star Wars the actor explained that the controversy surrounding Keaton’s casting and eventual success helped him feel more confident during his screen test than he otherwise would have been.

“There was this big outcry that Michael Keaton was going to play Batman,” Hamill recalled. “’Oh, it’s Mr. Mom, he’s a comedian.’ I mean, they hadn’t even seen him and didn’t realize how big he was going to get. But there have been great controversies.

He continued, “So when I walked in, I was like, ‘Do you think they’re going to hire Luke Skywalker to play the Joker? Fans will lose their minds!’ I was so sure I couldn’t be chosen, I was completely relaxed.

The car the actor explained that there’s typically performance anxiety during an audition because actors want the roles they’re reading for.

“Here I knew I couldn’t get the part, so who cares? And I walked out of the parking lot thinking, ‘This is the best Joker they’ve ever heard, and it’s a shame they can’t cast me.’” Then once I got the part, his attitude completely changed. “I was like, ‘Oh no, I can’t do this!'”

Hamill went on to say that Joker is one of his favorite characters to play.

“He’s crazy, and because he’s crazy, it’s never boring,” she said. “It’s just fun to play a character who wreaks havoc wherever he goes.”