A tape that landed Barry Keoghan the role of the Joker in The Batman has been online for years, and yet hardly anybody has seen it. If you're one of those people, you can check it out below:
When director Matt Reeves started casting for the DC superhero movie, it was clear that anyone who took on the Clown Prince of Crime had some mighty big boots to fill.
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Joaquin Phoenix did an amazing job in his performance of Joker in 2019.
But the game-changer truly arrived in 2008 with Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning rendition of the character - since then there's been a lot to live up to.
In 2020, Keoghan found out he was set to carry the torch, although his character is listed as 'Unseen Arkham Prisoner' and is only shown in the penultimate scene of The Batman.
A deleted scene that was released shortly after the film's release confirms the 'prisoner' is in fact the Joker, and no doubt we'll be seeing more of him in the sequel.
Though his appearance was short, it left audiences terrified and subsequently impressed by Keoghan's iteration of the famed comic book villain.
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Which is what makes the following fact all the more surprising - apparently he auditioned for a completely different character.
In a new interview with GQ, the actor said: "I wanted to be Riddler." This certainly explains the bowler hat and green braces.
As explained by the publication: "A clip of Keoghan’s audition for The Batman has existed publicly on the internet for three years, but barely anyone has seen it."
In the footage, Keoghan makes his entrance to Saint-Saëns’ 'Danse Macabre' as he emerges from a lift before pacing through a hotel corridor wearing his outfit while holding a cane.
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At one point, he walks into a room before coming back out with a bloody handprint across his face as he smiles grimly into the camera.
Although this is Keoghan's unique take on the Riddler, from the thick eyeliner and the classical music to the way he holds his cane, there's no denying the similarities to A Clockwork Orange.
Apparently he had made the video after hearing they were casting for the film, but for months he heard nothing back and his hopes were dashed when he found out that the role had been filled.
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Then, out of nowhere, he got a call from his agent saying they'd seen the tape. He was told: "The Batman wants you to play the Joker - but you cannot tell anyone."
You can only imagine how hard it must have been keeping that bombshell a secret, but he kept schtum and his video paid off - just not in the way he thought it would.
Featured Image Credit: Vimeo/Barry Keoghan/Warner Bros.Topics: Batman, DC Comics, Joker, TV and Film, Barry Keoghan