To many people, Mark Hamill has two definitive roles. There’s Luke Skywalker, of course, but for a lot of people, he’s also the definitive Joker. Starting with Batman: The Animated Series and working his way through the role for more than two decades, Hamill’s been the voice of the Joker, and multiple versions of him to boot. And, now that he’s got a new series in the works, he’s been asked to weigh in on Jared Leto.
Leto got raked over the coals for his portrayal of the Joker in Suicide Squad, not least because we spent months hearing about how method he was. Hamill, however, is a bit more nuanced and kind in his review:
“Everyone brings a different spin to the character and you have to look at each script separately,” Hamill said. “I don’t think there’s a definitive version of the Joker and I don’t think there can be. It’s like Hamlet, really. It’ll be constantly redefined.”
Recently, DC revealed that there were three different Jokers running around: A more playful Joker like from the ’66 series, a creepier one not unlike Jack Nicholson’s take, and the scary Heath Ledger-esque version. Although we’d also point out that, unlike Hamlet, the Joker has been spared the indignity of being portrayed by Ethan Hawke, so he’s got that going for him at least.
(via Polygon)
