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10 Actors You Probably Didn’t Know Almost Played The Joker

With Suicide Squad now in theatres, we're about to get yet another version of, come on let’s just come out and say it, the most popular villain in all of pop culture (Darth Vader doesn’t count, he eventually went good). Jared Leto joins a long line of esteemed actors to have played Batman’s eternal nemesis the Joker on both the small and silver screens – Jack Nicholson, Cesar Romero, Heath Ledger, Mark Hamill, etc.
This article is over 8 years old and may contain outdated information

10) Peter O’Toole

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To make people forget about the cackling Cesar Romero from the 1960s Batman show, the 1989 Batman movie needed to cast an actor with real gravitas who could convince people that the Joker was a real threat. It’s no wonder, then, that they initially considered Peter O’Toole for the role.

It has to be said that the acclaimed British actor, with his lean face and sharp features, would have been a great likeness for the character’s classic comic book look – even if at the time he was slightly older than you would expect the Joker to be. It’s unknown if the actor was ever actually approached for the role, but presumably he wouldn’t have snubbed the part, as he’d previously appeared in a superhero movie in 1984’s Supergirl.

9) Ray Liotta

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From his acclaimed performance in 1990’s Goodfellas, Ray Liotta has made a name for himself playing villainous or unhinged characters. Given that, it makes a lot of sense that Burton and his team also considered getting the actor on board to portray the Joker.

Unlike O’Toole, Liotta definitely was contacted about the role. However, he immediately turned them down. Looking back, it seems that Liotta might be regretting his choice.

“I remember right after a movie I did, [1986 comedy road movie] Something Wild, Tim Burton wanted to meet me for Batman,” he told The Playlist. “And at that time, I said, ‘What are you kidding me? I’m an actor.’ But now it’s changed; now it’s good because if you do that you get other movies.”


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Christian Bone
Christian Bone is a Staff Writer/Editor at We Got This Covered and has been cluttering up the internet with his thoughts on movies and TV for over a decade, ever since graduating with a Creative Writing degree from the University of Winchester. As Marvel Beat Leader, he can usually be found writing about the MCU and yet, if you asked him, he'd probably say his favorite superhero film is 'The Incredibles.'