Simply put, “I wanted to be Riddler,” says Barry Keoghan.
In a new interview with GQ, the actor dove into his journey from Riddler audition tapes to landing the role of Joker in a surprise cameo during The Batman.
Keoghan wanted the role of The Riddler, something many young actors knew would be a memorable gig in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Sadly, producer Dylan Clark told him that the role went to Jonah Hill at that point. Later, as we all know, it would go to Paul Dano, who made the role quite the memorable spectacle.
Four months passed and obviously, Keoghan felt the pain. But that changed when his agent called with a big secret. Keoghan recalls his agent telling him, “The Batman wants you to play the Joker — but you cannot tell anyone.”
During the GQ interview, we saw a bit of Barry Keoghan’s audition for Riddler. While the role could’ve gone perfectly well, check out the sinister vibe, this gives off, and you can see why Keoghan is The Joker.
SEE ALSO: Batman meets The Joker in deleted scene from The Batman
Check out the audition tape and tweet from Keoghan below…
— Barry Keoghan (@BarryKeoghan) October 3, 2022
During the GQ interview, Keoghan said that his Joker was “a bit charming and a bit hurt” and a “broken-down boy.” He adds, “I wanted some sort of human in there behind the makeup. I want people to relate to him…[to know] this is a façade he puts on.”
SEE ALSO: The Batman director Matt Reeves on Barry Keoghan’s Joker cameo and the character’s future
We don’t know any plans for The Batman sequel at the time of writing. The potential return of Keoghan is obviously under wraps, and the actor doesn’t know if he will ever reprise his role as The Joker. He does add that he’s ready to return to the Clown Prince “as soon as that call comes.”
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
The Batman sees Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse) donning the cape and cowl as Bruce Wayne/Batman alongside Zoe Kravitz (Big Little Lies) as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrell (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Paul Dano (Escape at Dannemora) as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) as Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes) as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro (The Big Lebowski) as Carmine Falcone, Alex Ferns (Chernobyl) as Commissioner Pete Savage, Con O’Neill (Ordinary Lies) as Chief Mackenzie Bock, Peter Sarsgaard (The Killing) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson and Jayme Lawson (Farewell Amor) as Bella Real.
