The Joker Thread - Part 1

[KGBANE]

After seeing what they did to Cassie Cain,Victor and Black Mask I really prefer to give Robert's Batman his own Black Mask,Harley and co.

 

[shauner111]

They were hilarious and violent. I liked it. I’d rather skip them now, move on to better characters. And you can’t replace Margot. Not while she’s still young. There’s not a single actress on this planet who can match what she did in Birds of Prey. She’s born to play Harley like Reynolds is born to play Deadpool.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I can think of a few, but I’d rather have a solo Joker against Pattinson.

 

[Art Vandelay]

They were hilarious and violent. I liked it. I’d rather skip them now, move on to better characters. And you can’t replace Margot. Not while she’s still young. There’s not a single actress on this planet who can match what she did in Birds of Prey. She’s born to play Harley like Reynolds is born to play Deadpool.

Why do people say things like this? Any talented actress can play her, this ain't Shakespeare.

 

[shauner111]

Any talented actor can not play any character. What a weird statement to make. Can any great actor played Deadpool or Joker? No they can’t. It’s about what you bring to the table.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Any great actor probably could play The Joker.

Deadpool sucks though. No one could be good as that character.

 

[Eddie Dean]

More productive: Name a great actor who couldn't play The Joker.

 

[shauner111]

Depp. DiCaprio. Pitt. Wright. Freeman. Caine. Pacino. Pesci. Ruffalo. Hardy. Newman. Stewart. Ford. On and on.

Not every great actor can play Bruce Wayne/Batman either. Just because you have talent doesn’t mean you can adequately play every character under the sun. Dwayne Johnson was the only person who could play The Rock in the 90’s/2000’s. Etc etc. I’m so happy some of you aren’t casting directors. There’s a reason why most fan casting picks on forums are so bad and don’t actually happen, because fans pick their favourite actors and apply them to a character without thinking of how they may not match.

 

[Eddie Dean]

 

[Mr. Gatsby]

Each actor comes with their own unique take. So saying ___ can't play The Joker is kind of vague, as it depends on what direction/take you're going with the character. So saying, for example, saying Heath Ledger wouldn't have been a good Joker that's in the same vain of something like the animated serious is kinda fair, I guess (?), but I mean we obviously that's not a correct blanketed term after his TDK take.

 

[Mr. Gatsby]

tl;dr: it's kind of a crap shoot to talk about anyway without a specific direction for the character, if any.

 

[Eddie Dean]

The only person shauner listed I truly can't see as The Joker is Ruffalo, who's always been too mellow of a performer for something like that.

Pesci would just be Pesci with face makeup, but Tommy DeVito and Nicky Santoro are basically the Jokers of Goodfellas or Casino.

Ford would be against type, but he's pulled off both great villain and comedic performances before.

Jimmy Stewart gets remembered as Mr. Nice Guy, but he started off playing villains and dug deep into darker roles all the time. His body type is kinda the closest to the comic book Joker as you can get.

You're telling me you wouldn't want to see 70s' Morgan Freeman as a silky, smooth Joker with a green afro?

Come on, PACINO couldn't play The Joker? The entire second half of his career has been defined by over the top, extremely theatrical performances.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Al paCIno CoUlDn't PLaY joKer

 

[Invader Joker]

You just convinced me 90% of these actors can't play him unless it was a really terrible reinvention of the character.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Which ones?

 

[shauner111]

He wouldn’t play it well. And no, I wouldn’t want to see Freeman.

 

[shauner111]

Show an actor smiling or laughing and that’s your defence lol. Oh boy.

 

[Fincher]

I'm not going to say anyone could play a given character, but I'm also not prepared to say that Margot was uniquely qualified to play the character. Granted, I haven't seen Birds of Prey, but from everything I've seen of her she's playing a version of the character that's different from the other versions I know. She made the character her own and did a good job of it, and recasting would be done with the knowledge that that's the version the general audience knows, but it isn't an exact recreation. Jack Nicholson played The Joker in a way that only Jack Nicholson would play him, and people loved it, and then years later Heather Ledger played him in a completely different way. Personally, I liked Nicholson the best and probably always will, but Ledger redefined the character and obviously has a ton of fans.

If they were going to do Harley Quinn in the Reeves' films (I'm not even talking about getting rid of Margot's Harley), I would differentiate her by portraying her in a creepy doll way rather than the action antihero that Robbie's was. Dakota Fanning, Amanda Seyfried, Jena Malone. Don't try to beat Margot at her own game.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Show an actor smiling or laughing and that’s your defence lol. Oh boy.

Obviously it's a bit tongue in cheek, but you really can't see Pacino or Hardy as The Joker? Leo's performance from Django is pretty much already Joker. Pitt in 12 Monkeys is the same deal.

 

[shauner111]

Harley will be played by many. But Margot’s voice, expressions, features...as of now, recasting would be a mistake because it’s no contest. Wait 10 years. She was incredible in Birds of Prey. Perfect actress for Harley.

Obviously it's a bit tongue in cheek, but you really can't see Pacino or Hardy as The Joker? Leo's performance from Django is pretty much already Joker. Pitt in 12 Monkeys is the same deal.

Nope.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I think you're just being deliberately stubborn! If these exact performances had clown make up on and every called them The Joker, you would be disappointed?

 

[Captain Tired]

Wtf has this thread even become?

 

[Eddie Dean]

Just some good natured discussion!

 

[Iceman]

Harley will be played by many. But Margot’s voice, expressions, features...as of now, recasting would be a mistake because it’s no contest. Wait 10 years. She was incredible in Birds of Prey. Perfect actress for Harley.

She was so good as Harley in BoP. I'm sure she could play a bit darker/more sinister if Reeves preferred it.

 

[Mr. Gatsby]

I think Heath Ledger is a pretty clear example of not going with type casting + a characterization/direction that works with the actor = (potentially) great results.

Nicholson's take worked to his strengths
Ledger's take worked to his strengths
Phoenix's take worked to his strengths

And all of them were well crafted and directed characters. I think more consideration needs to go into the character itself than what most typically expect/think.