Batman: The Animated Series star Mark Hamill explains why he will probably never play the Joker again following the death of Kevin Conroy.
Batman: The Animated Series star Mark Hamill stated he will probably never voice the Joker again after the passing of Kevin Conroy.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Hamill claimed that voicing the Clown Prince of Crime would not be the same without Conroy portraying Batman. He admitted that even before Conroy’s passing, he would not be interested in Joker roles if the iconic Batman voice actor wasn’t also attached. “They would call and say, ‘They want you to do the Joker,’ and my only question was, ‘Is Kevin Batman?’ If they said yes, I would say, ‘I’m in.’ We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me.”
Before Conroy’s death, the duo appeared as Batman and Joker across television shows such as the aforementioned Batman: The Animated Series, animated films such as Batman: The Killing Joke and the groundbreaking Batman: Arkham video game series.
Remembering Kevin Conroy
Conroy died on Nov. 10, 2022 at the age of 66 following a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. “Kevin was perfection,” Hamill said after news of the actor’s passing broke. “He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him – his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated.”
Hamill continued to praise the Dark Knight voice actor in DC’s official press release, referring to Conroy as the “definitive Batman.” He went on to explain how lucky DC and the world was that they nabbed the perfect actor for the role. “His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery — that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner — it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.”
Conroy’s final performance as Batman will be in the upcoming video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which is being developed by Rocksteady Studios, the same company that produced the Arkham games. Conroy’s Batman had the spotlight in the new in-engine trailer for the game that was showcased at 2022’s The Game Awards. The clip, in which Batman successfully scares off the Suicide Squad, featured a small tribute to the late actor in the form of a caption reading, “Thank you, Kevin.”
Source: Empire via ScreenRant
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