Over the last decade, the Joker has begun to multiply. On the big screen, we’ve seen Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix, and over various live-action TV shows, Cameron Monaghan and Nathan Dashwood have also played the iconic villain, with one of the newest being Batwoman‘s Nick Creegan. His incarnation of the character was originally Jada’s son Marquis Jet: the new Clown Prince of Crime.
Now, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Creegan revealed that Jared Leto gave him some surprisingly down-to-earth advice on playing the role:
I met Jared Leto randomly before we shot episode 12. He asked me how I was feeling about it, as though he was waiting for me to say I was warned about the toll. I told him I was excited and having fun with it. He said, “Exactly! Try to go there. Go as deep as you can and have fun with it! Remember that this is art. This isn’t real life.”
Considering the notorious stories of Leto getting deep into the twisted psychopath’s mind while making The Suicide Squad, him telling Creegan not to take the role that seriously is surprising, though is in all honestly very good advice.
Creegan also said he had no idea when auditioning that Marquis Jet would become the Joker:
I had zero clue that I was going to be The Joker. But there were weird little vibes I got when I read the sides. Even though I was auditioning for Marquis Jet, I felt that sort of crazy in the way that he was speaking, and was curious what this guy would turn into. My friend who was helping me with the self-tape made a joke, saying, “Well, you have on a purple shirt. That would be hilarious if you became The Joker.” I brushed it off. Then, when I got the role, [showrunner] Caroline Dries called me the day before I was going to fly to Vancouver and said, “You become our new Joker.” My mouth dropped. It didn’t register. I lost it.
Creegan’s Joker started his supervillain career with a classic scheme, threatening to reveal Batwoman’s identity to the people of Gotham, while simultaneously dousing the city with acid from a hijacked Batblimp. This diabolical plan was foiled and though Marquis appeared to be acting normally as the episode ended; you don’t shake the Joker personality that easily.
Batwoman hasn’t yet been officially confirmed for a fourth season, though comments from the producers about what they have planned seem like a good omen that this story will continue. If and when it does, expect more from this intriguing new take on the Joker. Here’s hoping Creegan sticks with the part for some time yet.