Barry Keoghan is the newest Joker actor who made his debut in the fabulous thriller movie The Batman. Before Keoghan plastered on the Clown Prince of Crime’s alabaster makeup and terrifying smile, he actually auditioned to play a different Batman villain.
In an interview with GQ, Keoghan admitted that he actually wanted to play The Riddler – the role that ultimately went to Paul Dano. Keoghan went so far as to make an audition tape for the role, which is available online, and we’ve provided a link to below.
In the short video, Keoghan channels Alex from A Clockwork Orange as he starts around in a bowler hat, green suspenders, and an all-black outfit. In his hands, he holds a cane and appears to be doing a sort of jig to Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre.
Keoghan’s audition was totally unsolicited, and he initially heard nothing back from Reeves, who was hard at work on his Batman movie. Eventually, Dano got the part, and the Marvel movie star thought that was that.
Then, four months later, he got a call. It was his agent, and he had exciting news. Reeves wanted him to play a new version of the Joker in The Batman. The rest is history, and although he was only in the film for about 3 minutes or so, his take on the Harlequin of Hate left a big impression on audience members.
We don’t know if Keoghan will return for The Batman 2, but we’re really hoping he does. While we wait for news on that, why don’t you check ut our list of the best Batman actors.