Actor Nick Creegan Speaks Out On Becoming Batman Universe's First Black Joker
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Actor Nick Creegan has emerged as the first Black man in DC history to play the Joker and will feature in season three of Batwoman.
The plot involves character Marquis Jet and his transformation into one of the most famous supervillains ever.
Creegan, 28, has spoken out about his new role and how 'crazy' it was when he found out who he'd be playing.
In an interview with The Wrap, he said: "Yeah, I've done a lot of processing the past few weeks, months, you know?
"It's still surreal to me. It's been a wild ride for me. You know, the reception of the new Joker, being the first person of color to play this role – the messages and the love I've been getting has just been overwhelming. It's been a fun ride."
"It's funny because I dressed up, on Halloween, I dressed up as Jared Leto's Joker back in like 2016 or 2015," Creegan explained.
"And the thing that I really liked about his Joker was how different it was than every other rendition, right?
"He was wearing chains and he had gold teeth. And he was just like this new, edgy, different version of the Joker. And for Marquis, being that he's so new and he's very much into fashion, he's very much into being himself.
"Like, there's a lot of vibes that come through that people probably relate to, especially being from New York and, you know, a little street, a little edgy, funny.
"So... I tried to take little elements of Jared Leto's Joker, but also making sure that I weave in the maniacal laughter and just craze in the eyes that I saw in Heath Ledger or Joaquin Phoenix's Joker.
"So there's bits and pieces that I've taken from a lot of them, but [I'm] still making it very much [as] original as possible."
He went on to say: "The laugh, for instance, is actually my own laugh.
"People are like, 'Oh this Joker laugh is so good!' I'm like, 'Don't think I'm actually crazy, but this is how I laugh whenever something's really funny.'
"So I have a really weird, interesting – I call it my auteur laugh. That's mine.
"So yeah, there are bits and pieces from other Jokers, but it's very much an over-exaggerated version of what Nick would be like in this situation."
The synopsis for the show reads: "Batwoman seeks justice for Gotham City.
"Ryan Wilder, armed with a passion for justice and a flair for speaking her mind, soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, a highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city's criminal resurgence.
"But don't call her a hero yet."
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.
Topics: TV and Film, Batman, DC Comics
