The 'Banshees of Inisherin' actor opens up on his meager budget to make a 'Clockwork Orange'-inspired audition tape that wowed director Matt Reeves and Landed him The Joker role.
- October 5, 2023
AceShowbiz - Barry Keoghan needed just $10 to make his self-tape audition for "The Batman". The 30-year-old star auditioned for the role of The Riddler in the movie, and while he lost out to Paul Dano, the actor's budget "Clockwork Orange"-inspired audition tape did enough to impress director Matt Reeves and land him the part of The Joker.
"I just made it up. I wanted to make it Kubrick-y, symmetrical, the X on the back, the square doorframe, everything square. I just wanted swag to come across. Swag and endearing. It was just me giving my idea. And then I's like, 'I'ma send this in!' " Keoghan, who spent $10 on a cane and a hat for the tape, told Esquire magazine.
Last month, Keoghan explained his version of The Joker - a character previously portrayed by the likes of Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix - is "a bit charming and a bit hurt." "The Banshees of Inisherin" star told GQ Magazine, "I wanted some sort of human in there behind the makeup. I want people to relate to him ... [to know] this is a facade he puts on."
Keoghan was told he had landed the Joker role during a phone call with his agent while he was having dinner with a pal in New York. His agent told him at the time, "The Batman wants you to play the Joker - but you cannot tell anyone."
Keoghan has been keen to land a comic book character role for years, and in 2013, he tweeted legendary Marvel Comics writer Stan Lee. The "Top Boy" star wrote at the time, "@TheRealStanLee Stan Lee, Please make me a SuperHero ,) (sic)."
