RedIsNotBlue
Agree to disagree
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2004
- Messages
- 21,982
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 31
Please forgive me if this has been posted but I haven't seen it.
Alright dude, you know Ive got to ask you about this -- Whats the deal with The Joker and how in the hell did you get in the mix for the part?
LH: You guys, thats how. Your website, man. The first I heard of it, someone rang me to say that theyd heard on the radio that I actually had the part, and this was before BATMAN BEGINS had even come out, so this was early 2005. And on the radio, they were apparently quoting from your site, so there you have it. Of course, I had to explain to my family that I wasnt playing the part, but from that moment on, the media have been chasing me around asking for a quote, which I couldnt give. But every other weekend down here, there would be some blurb or column in the papers talking about how I was the front-runner or some ****. Thank God Heath got the gig, cause now the press can all **** off. But the Internet speculation has been extraordinary. Unbelievable!
Now I never reported it, but there was talk that you met with Chris Nolan. True?
LH Never. Although, according to the Internet, not only have I met him, were now part owners in a racehorse together.
(laughs) What about Charles Roven?
LH: Ive met Chuck, but not about Batman. I mean, we did talk about Batman, and certainly talked about all of the rumors about me playing The Joker, but nothing more than that. We talked more about some other projects hes doing. But interestingly, about 10 minutes after I walked out of my meeting with Chuck, it was all over the Internet that Id been there. News travels fast in Hollywood, mate. And funnily enough, news travels fast everywhere, because the only time Ive ever talked about Batman was on radio in Melbourne, on Tony Martins show, and I made a few wisecracks about the Batman gig, and suddenly its all over the world that Im in these so-called secret talks about playing The Joker. If memory serves, that was your site that picked all of that up. You guys are faster than CNN.
Did you screentest?
LH: No. As far as I know, no one did. No one was asked. Christopher Nolan strikes me as the kind of guy that doesnt have to test actors anymore, certainly not for roles like The Joker. He knows who he wants, and he gets them.
We know that Heath Ledger is The Joker, but how would you have played him?
LH: However the director wants me to play it, simple as that. (laughs) Thats my job. Obviously you come to work with your own ideas, with your own prep and your research done, and you try to impose some sort of personal vision onto the role youre playing, whether that be through the costume or the accent or the ticking clock inside whomever youre playing, or whatever. But even with a role like The Joker, which is open to so much interpretation, you ultimately have to acquiesce to the director, otherwise get out of the way. Acting is not like painting. You dont get to sit in a corner and create your own special thing. Youre part of a team. Youre servicing a vision, particularly in feature films. Thats what you get paid for.
Is it true that you are a big Batman fan -- like me for instance?
LH: Not as such. And I dont mean any disrespect to you guys, who all supported me, but Im not a huge comic book fan, by any stretch. By the way, Im reliably informed that you guys are nicknamed by the powers that be at Warner Bros. as the Batman Fundamentalists, or the DC Fundamentalists. (laughs) You guys wield an extraordinary amount of power, believe me. I think Im living proof of that. We wouldnt be chatting unless you guys had flexed your muscles.
I gotcha. But it was rumored that you were a huge Bat-fan. I think that the BOF readers loved that about you by the way.
LH: Yeah, that started because of the mucking around on Tony Martins show. I think I said I would be claiming Batman comics on my tax return if I got the role, but that was just a stupid attempt at witty repartee on my part. I do like the character. I think hes the best of all the comic book heroes, and I certainly read some of the comics when I was a kid, so being thought of as a Batman fan is nice company to be in.
OK, with that said, what did you think about BATMAN BEGINS?
LH: Loved it. Brilliant. Different from Richard Donners SUPERMAN, but on par with it in terms of an origin story. Great cast, great script, just a great movie. A really well crafted movie. Obviously, with all the Internet speculation about me playing The Joker, I certainly delved very heavily into the Batman world, as my interest was piqued, and so I watched that movie many, many times, on DVD. I also bought a lot of comics, the anthology ones, like The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told and so on. And Id read Dark Knight Returns years ago, so I went back to that, and Year One. Im starting to sound like a fan-boy now, arent I?
Dude, come on! Youre NOT a Batman fan -- riiiiiight.
LH: (laughs) But it was more just out of interest as an actor. Actually, going back to what you asked before, about how I might have approached the role of The Joker, I suppose the obvious thing would be to just go back to the original version of the character. That interests me. Everyone raves about what Alan Moore did with The Killing Joke, but ultimately, that version of the character demands you to feel sympathy for the guy, and I dont believe we should feel anything but fear and disgust for him. For me, the most interesting version is what Bob Kane and Bill Finger did with the first incarnation of the character, which was basically a prototype for the modern-day serial killer, something like what The Zodiac Killer in San Francisco in the 60s and 70s was, a killer who announces his crimes and then commits them in a way that makes no sense, and then just disappears back into the shadows. An unstoppable force, a very dark, scary force. I found that very compelling, that first ever Joker story. At the end of the day, there should be nothing sympathetic about a character like The Joker, and certainly nothing funny about him. I know everybody hearing this or, sorry, reading this will hate me for saying that, but that would be my jumping-off point as an actor. Until the director told me to shut up and do it his way. (laughs) And by the way, Im not trying to insult The Killing Joke or Alan Moore or anything like that. In fact, I can see why his take on The Joker has inspired such a passionate following, because its, yknow, such an intelligent and literate take on the character for the modern reader. But you cant go past the Bob Kane/Bill Finger version, in my opinion. They nailed him right from the start. And Jerry Robinson, too. Did I mention him?
On my site, the fans have debated the good and bad of the Burton/Schumacher Bat-films for years. What did you think of them?
LH: Not much. I mean, there are some cool moments in all of them, with the exception, of course, of Batman & Robin. Good God, what a piece of **** film. You need subtitles to understand what the hell Schwarzenegger is saying! Terrible. Just ****ing terrible. And a pity, too. They never made a truly satisfying Batman movie until Nolan came along. I mean, the casting of Christian Bale was just perfect. He also would have made a great James Bond, but carrying the worlds two biggest movie franchises might be too big a task, even for him! (laughs)
Back to The Joker one more time. Man, you had a lot of support from Bat-fans -- including me to be honest. Do you have anything to say to all those guys that had your back?
LH: Absolutely, yes. I just want to say thanks for all the support. A very heartfelt thanks. I mean, these people dont know me beyond, Im guessing, things like MATRIX, but they obviously saw in me something that they felt could translate into playing that villain on the big screen, which is just a huge, huge compliment. It was very humbling. Surreal, too! (laughs) Surreal, but very humbling. And thanks to you, too, mate, for all the nice things that youve written about me. I was certainly made aware of them, from various friends, and my managers and so forth. Just a great feeling to have all of that support out there. So, yeah, thank you. Thanks.
http://www.batman-on-film.com/interview_lachyhulme2_jett.html
Alright dude, you know Ive got to ask you about this -- Whats the deal with The Joker and how in the hell did you get in the mix for the part?
LH: You guys, thats how. Your website, man. The first I heard of it, someone rang me to say that theyd heard on the radio that I actually had the part, and this was before BATMAN BEGINS had even come out, so this was early 2005. And on the radio, they were apparently quoting from your site, so there you have it. Of course, I had to explain to my family that I wasnt playing the part, but from that moment on, the media have been chasing me around asking for a quote, which I couldnt give. But every other weekend down here, there would be some blurb or column in the papers talking about how I was the front-runner or some ****. Thank God Heath got the gig, cause now the press can all **** off. But the Internet speculation has been extraordinary. Unbelievable!
Now I never reported it, but there was talk that you met with Chris Nolan. True?
LH Never. Although, according to the Internet, not only have I met him, were now part owners in a racehorse together.
(laughs) What about Charles Roven?
LH: Ive met Chuck, but not about Batman. I mean, we did talk about Batman, and certainly talked about all of the rumors about me playing The Joker, but nothing more than that. We talked more about some other projects hes doing. But interestingly, about 10 minutes after I walked out of my meeting with Chuck, it was all over the Internet that Id been there. News travels fast in Hollywood, mate. And funnily enough, news travels fast everywhere, because the only time Ive ever talked about Batman was on radio in Melbourne, on Tony Martins show, and I made a few wisecracks about the Batman gig, and suddenly its all over the world that Im in these so-called secret talks about playing The Joker. If memory serves, that was your site that picked all of that up. You guys are faster than CNN.
Did you screentest?
LH: No. As far as I know, no one did. No one was asked. Christopher Nolan strikes me as the kind of guy that doesnt have to test actors anymore, certainly not for roles like The Joker. He knows who he wants, and he gets them.
We know that Heath Ledger is The Joker, but how would you have played him?
LH: However the director wants me to play it, simple as that. (laughs) Thats my job. Obviously you come to work with your own ideas, with your own prep and your research done, and you try to impose some sort of personal vision onto the role youre playing, whether that be through the costume or the accent or the ticking clock inside whomever youre playing, or whatever. But even with a role like The Joker, which is open to so much interpretation, you ultimately have to acquiesce to the director, otherwise get out of the way. Acting is not like painting. You dont get to sit in a corner and create your own special thing. Youre part of a team. Youre servicing a vision, particularly in feature films. Thats what you get paid for.
Is it true that you are a big Batman fan -- like me for instance?
LH: Not as such. And I dont mean any disrespect to you guys, who all supported me, but Im not a huge comic book fan, by any stretch. By the way, Im reliably informed that you guys are nicknamed by the powers that be at Warner Bros. as the Batman Fundamentalists, or the DC Fundamentalists. (laughs) You guys wield an extraordinary amount of power, believe me. I think Im living proof of that. We wouldnt be chatting unless you guys had flexed your muscles.
I gotcha. But it was rumored that you were a huge Bat-fan. I think that the BOF readers loved that about you by the way.
LH: Yeah, that started because of the mucking around on Tony Martins show. I think I said I would be claiming Batman comics on my tax return if I got the role, but that was just a stupid attempt at witty repartee on my part. I do like the character. I think hes the best of all the comic book heroes, and I certainly read some of the comics when I was a kid, so being thought of as a Batman fan is nice company to be in.
OK, with that said, what did you think about BATMAN BEGINS?
LH: Loved it. Brilliant. Different from Richard Donners SUPERMAN, but on par with it in terms of an origin story. Great cast, great script, just a great movie. A really well crafted movie. Obviously, with all the Internet speculation about me playing The Joker, I certainly delved very heavily into the Batman world, as my interest was piqued, and so I watched that movie many, many times, on DVD. I also bought a lot of comics, the anthology ones, like The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told and so on. And Id read Dark Knight Returns years ago, so I went back to that, and Year One. Im starting to sound like a fan-boy now, arent I?
Dude, come on! Youre NOT a Batman fan -- riiiiiight.
LH: (laughs) But it was more just out of interest as an actor. Actually, going back to what you asked before, about how I might have approached the role of The Joker, I suppose the obvious thing would be to just go back to the original version of the character. That interests me. Everyone raves about what Alan Moore did with The Killing Joke, but ultimately, that version of the character demands you to feel sympathy for the guy, and I dont believe we should feel anything but fear and disgust for him. For me, the most interesting version is what Bob Kane and Bill Finger did with the first incarnation of the character, which was basically a prototype for the modern-day serial killer, something like what The Zodiac Killer in San Francisco in the 60s and 70s was, a killer who announces his crimes and then commits them in a way that makes no sense, and then just disappears back into the shadows. An unstoppable force, a very dark, scary force. I found that very compelling, that first ever Joker story. At the end of the day, there should be nothing sympathetic about a character like The Joker, and certainly nothing funny about him. I know everybody hearing this or, sorry, reading this will hate me for saying that, but that would be my jumping-off point as an actor. Until the director told me to shut up and do it his way. (laughs) And by the way, Im not trying to insult The Killing Joke or Alan Moore or anything like that. In fact, I can see why his take on The Joker has inspired such a passionate following, because its, yknow, such an intelligent and literate take on the character for the modern reader. But you cant go past the Bob Kane/Bill Finger version, in my opinion. They nailed him right from the start. And Jerry Robinson, too. Did I mention him?
On my site, the fans have debated the good and bad of the Burton/Schumacher Bat-films for years. What did you think of them?
LH: Not much. I mean, there are some cool moments in all of them, with the exception, of course, of Batman & Robin. Good God, what a piece of **** film. You need subtitles to understand what the hell Schwarzenegger is saying! Terrible. Just ****ing terrible. And a pity, too. They never made a truly satisfying Batman movie until Nolan came along. I mean, the casting of Christian Bale was just perfect. He also would have made a great James Bond, but carrying the worlds two biggest movie franchises might be too big a task, even for him! (laughs)
Back to The Joker one more time. Man, you had a lot of support from Bat-fans -- including me to be honest. Do you have anything to say to all those guys that had your back?
LH: Absolutely, yes. I just want to say thanks for all the support. A very heartfelt thanks. I mean, these people dont know me beyond, Im guessing, things like MATRIX, but they obviously saw in me something that they felt could translate into playing that villain on the big screen, which is just a huge, huge compliment. It was very humbling. Surreal, too! (laughs) Surreal, but very humbling. And thanks to you, too, mate, for all the nice things that youve written about me. I was certainly made aware of them, from various friends, and my managers and so forth. Just a great feeling to have all of that support out there. So, yeah, thank you. Thanks.
http://www.batman-on-film.com/interview_lachyhulme2_jett.html
t: 
