When it comes to comic book villains on the big screen, none are more iconic than Batman’s arch-nemesis, the Joker. The role has seen different actors attached to it over the years, from the campy, colorful Cesar Romero from the 1960s; to the sardonic, felonious Jack Nicholson’s in 1989; to the chaotic, capricious Heath Ledger from 2008’s The Dark Knight to the most recent, introspective, psychological take by Joaquin Phoenix in 2019’s The Joker — performances which have more than endured in pop culture and the hearts and minds of comic book fans over the years.
There’s one decorated actor who for the meantime will have to wonder “what if” when it comes to the Joker however.
Although he admits that he “wasn’t close” to getting the role, Adrien Brody says that he actually met with director Christopher Nolan to discuss playing the Clown Prince of Crime in The Dark Knight on a recent episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. (As we know, the role eventually went to Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.) Brody, who most recently starred as a Holocaust survivor in 2024 period drama The Brutalist, said, “It was a role that I felt very suited to do,” but also acknowledged that “Heath did such a remarkable job in that movie. It was indelible. Such beautiful work.”
When asked about the importance and ambition behind playing the Joker, Brody said, “Any actor who has a degree of edge would like to delve into a dark character like that, especially with a filmmaker like Christopher Nolan who brought such a profound vision. And nobody was doing that at the time. There was nothing like that.”
Brody added that the opportunity Nolan offered the actors in The Dark Knight “was a revelation” and “mindblowing,” noting “that would have been such a dream role, and I’m sure it was for Heath.”
So is there any chance that Adrien Brody, an actor who certainly has the looks and credentials to play the character, might play the Joker in the future?
“If I was presented with an opportunity to play an interesting character with a filmmaker that elevated me and gave me space to do something vastly different. In that world, it sounds amazing,” Brody said.
What do you think of the thoughts shared by Adrien Brody on playing the Joker and Heath Ledger’s impact on the role in The Dark Knight? Let us know in the comments.
