How Joker’s Teeth Inspired Mark Hamill’s Batman: Animated Series Voice

Mark Hamill has revealed that he was inspired by the Joker’s teeth when it came to crafting the voice for the iconic character in Batman: The Animated Series. The Emmy winning series ran for 85 episodes between 1992 and 1995 and put a brand new spin on the character of Batman, who was voiced by Kevin Conroy, a man whose name has become synonymous with the animated side of the Batman franchise over the years. The series also incorporated a number of other fan-favorite characters from within the comic books, including Harley Quinn, Riddler and Poison Ivy, to name just a few.

Over the years, Hamill has voiced The Joker in a number of animated projects, but his work on Batman: The Animated Series is certainly seen as one of his more iconic appearances as the Clown Prince of Crime. Hamill’s take on The Joker is often considered to be somewhat of a blueprint for the role, not only because the Star Wars actor’s career heavily intertwines with the character but also due to Hamill having provided an inimitable voice for a character that means so much to many comic book fans. Some of Hamill’s more recent performances as Batman’s arch-nemesis include the animated film Batman: The Killing Joke, as well as the Batman: Arkham video game trilogy.

Now Hamill has shared what inspired the voice behind this beloved role of his. Speaking to ComicBook, the actor revealed that during his audition for Batman: The Animated Series, Hamill was not able to see any of the episodes and was simply given a black and white drawing of The Joker for his reference. The star also said he immediately thought “Teeth, teeth, teeth, he’s all teeth!” upon seeing the image and that he ultimately used that as inspiration to ensure the voice he created would truly fit the character that it would eventually be paired with on-screen. Check out Hamill’s full quote below.

I remember when I auditioned for the Joker, I wasn’t able to see any of the episodes, I wasn’t able to read the script, it was like a three- or four-page audition scene, but they had one, black-and-white drawing of the Joker, full size, not just a closeup. And he had those teeth and, just based on that drawing, it really meant a lot, because I thought, “I’ve gotta make that, whatever voice I come up with, sound like it’s coming out of that character.” And I thought, “Teeth, teeth, teeth, he’s all teeth!” I threw in a little, the Blue Meanies from Yellow Submarine, “Hello, lovey-dovey,” I wanted to alter him so that he didn’t have just one sound. I lucked out.

Hamill then went on to say that, when it comes to voice acting, “visual representation is really important, especially in animation” and that sometimes going into a project not knowing what the character will look like can actually have an adverse effect on the voice performance. While it may have been a while since audiences last saw Hamill on screen, the voice acting veteran has been busy in the recording booth, as the newest addition to Shudder’s Creepshow series, as well as providing the voice for Skeletor in Masters of the Universe: Revelation which began streaming earlier this summer.

Despite the fact that Hamill played one of the most recognizable characters of all time, in one of the biggest film franchises of all time, the star’s voice acting resumé far exceeds that of his on-screen roles. The actor’s affection for The Joker as a character is evidenced by the number of times audiences have seen him voice the legendary role over the years, even previously voicing The Joker in an episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Hamill’s incredibly memorable performances are likely to have served as inspiration for the number of voice actors who have tackled the part following Batman: The Animated Series, but many certainly hope that Hamill still has a lot more to come when it comes to The Joker.

Source: ComicBook