Actors Who Almost Played The Joker

The Joker is one of the most recognizable characters across all modern media. Plenty of actors have leant their talents to the Joker over the years, but here are some movie stars who almost played the Clown Prince of Crime before fate stepped in the way.

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe was also briefly considered to play the Joker in “Batman,” before the role went to Jack Nicholson. When Dafoe was cast in 2017’s “Justice League,” fans hoped that he might finally be taking on the role of the Joker, but instead he played a mermaid.

Leonardo DiCaprio

According to sources within the studio, Warner Bros once wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to play Arthur Fleck in “Joker.” These plans didn’t go ahead, as they were apparently based on Martin Scorsese having a more active role in the movie’s development.

John Lithgow

John Lithgow was approached twice about playing the Joker, and both times felt that he just didn’t want the role. He even auditioned for the part once, but spent the entire time trying to talk Tim Burton out of hiring him. This seems to have worked.

Tim Curry

Tim Curry was once actually cast as the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.” Sadly, he caught bronchitis and wasn’t able to give a committed performance, so he was quickly replaced by Mark Hamill, who re-recorded all dialogue for the show and went on to be perhaps the most iconic version of the character to date.