Actors who could portray The Joker

The Joker is a famous and beloved supervillain. Heath Ledger’s famous interpretation in 2008’s The Dark Knight will go down as one of the great villains of any film. With Man of Steel kicking off a new DC universe, and now Ben Affleck taking on the role of Bruce Wayne/ Batman, we will revisit this character. I want to speculate that we won’t see any mention of the Joker in Man of Steel II, but rather would be saved for the new Batman films.

With this foregone conclusion, I want to name three actors I believe would make a great Joker for different reasons. I started with trained, experienced actors, and then began to address their strengths and fit for the role. I’ve come up with one name which will obviously not pan out, and might sound like a really poor choice, I think there is definite merit to the idea.

 

Jesse Eisenberg

Many fans think of Jesse Eisenberg very sourly given the backlash towards his casting as Lex Luthor. I am completely on board and love the decision, but I am definitely in the minority. Whilst researching the casting and debating whether or not I believe he is a good choice, I found myself really believe that he is a great option to play the Joker.

I am a big fan of Jesse Eisenberg, but from everything I’ve seen, I’m not sure if I would be friends with him. Although Eisenberg might be an incredible person, his celebrity persona leads me to believe he is a very intense person. He chooses characters where he has shown he can embarrass other characters with his clever dialogue and skillful delivery. He has shown, especially in Fincher’s The Social Network, he can portray excellent subtlety and can adequately show betrayal, revenge and even cruelty. Eisenberg has the ability, in my opinion, to be very likable even whilst doing things generally considered in poor taste.

The qualities of Joker do seem to match what Eisenberg has shown he can act and act very well. If Joker can blow up a hospital and still be beloved, then a very likable actor has to portray him, and for the most part Eisenberg does not fit this description. I really think this would be a good decision, but I also believe Eisenberg will surprise many in his portrayal of Lex Luthor.

 

Benedict Cumberbatch

 

In terms of pure likability, I think Benedict Cumberbatch tops the list. He is classy and comedic and is very well known for his immense talent. I am a big fan of Sherlock and the way he portrays the character, even though I am not a fan of the character as a whole. But beyond Sherlock, Cumberbatch was fantastic as Master Ford in 12 Years a Slave, captivating and brilliant as Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness, and shown his phenomenal range as Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate, voicework in The Hobbit, and I’m rally excited to see him possibly push for his Academy Award as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.

Cumberbatch’s talent cannot be disputed here, but I also think this is a great fit. Cumberbatch can play an incredibly creepy and clever character. He has a good look for the part, though he might be slightly too tall. I really do think Cumberbatch can use his experience of Khan and Master Ford, to play a convincing and different villain. Cumberbatch stands as my number one choice.

 

Paul Dano

Not a very famous actor, but this is not due to his acting ability. Dano is an incredibly actor, but he is not a natural leading man. Dano has been great in these roles, but I believe his roles as smaller characters where he steals the scenes are his best. Dano showed a lot of range as John Tibbeats in 12 Years a Slave, showing almost a spoiled brat who has too much power. It was quite difficult to see his brutal torture in Prisoners, but this was reminiscent of the Batman/ Joker confrontation in The Dark Knight. I think Dano could play a less likable Joker, who appears as a psychopath with too much control over Gotham, which might be a nice change from the Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson version.

 

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

This is more of an oddball choice, but I really believe Nikolaj Coster-Waldau would be a very interesting and different Joker. He is very well known for playing Jamie Lannister, where he can completely turn from very unlikable to very likable. I liked his role in MAMA, and think he could play a unique Joker. Coster-Waldau was looked at to be the next Batman, and whilst I could live with the notion, I preferred Colin Farrell as my first choice, and really appreciate the Ben Affleck casting. The Joker I see him playing is more human with a proper motivation. Not a revenge based drive, but more method-to-madness.

 

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