Mark Hamill reveals how Michael Keaton's Batman casting inspired him to audition for the Joker

Mark Hamill will always be best known for his role as Jedi hero Luke Skywalker, but he's also made for a wonderfully maniacal Joker, bringing his signature cackle to Batman: The Animated Series and beyond.

And it turns out Hamill might never have voiced the the Dark Knight's archenemy if not for Michael Keaton.

In a new Wired interview, Hamill said that Keaton's controversial casting and subsequent star turn in the 1989 Batman movie gave him the nerve he needed to audition to play the Joker.

"I had a confidence that really helped me, because there was this big outcry that Michael Keaton was going to play Batman," Hamill recalled. "'Oh he's Mr. Mom, he's a comedy actor.' I mean they hadn't even seen him, and they didn't realize how great he would become. But there was great controversy."

Kevin Winter/Getty; Warner Bros/Everett Mark Hamill and his animated alter ego, the Joker

He continued: "So when I went in, I thought, 'You think they're going to hire Luke Skywalker to play the Joker? The fans will lose their minds!' I was so sure that I couldn't be cast, I was completely relaxed. A lot of times there's performance anxiety because you want the part; here I knew I couldn't get the part, so, who cares? And I drove out of the parking lot thinking, 'That's the best Joker they'll ever hear, and it's too bad they can't cast me.'"

Of course, once Hamill got the part, his attitude flipped: "I was like, 'Oh no, I can't do this!'"

Fortunately it all worked out, and Hamill's take on the Clown Prince of Crime ranks alongside such greats as Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix and Jack Nicholson. Having reprised the role in various TV series, movies, and video games, Hamill said the Joker is one of his favorite characters to play "because he's insane, and because he's insane, he's never boring. It's just fun to play a character who creates chaos everywhere he goes."

As for Keaton, his performance as Batman (and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne) wasn't too shabby either. The actor went on to star in the sequel Batman Returns and will don the cape and cowl once more in The Flash.

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