Actor Tim Curry spoke out about the reason why he was replaced by Mark Hamill in the role of the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series.
Curry revealed what happened in an interview at Canada’s Fan Expo. Apparently what happened was not due to any performance issue, but a sick day.
“I did play Joker for a while, but I had bronchitis and they fired me – and hired Mark Hamill. That’s life.”
Pennywise Is the Joker?
While Curry did seem a little chagrined in some terrible timing, it did give fans arguably the greatest Joker actor ever in the form of Hamill. Fans of Curry will also note that while he missed his opportunity to play the Clown Prince of Crime, he did play another homicidal clown. His portrayal as Pennywise in It remains equally as memorable as Hamill’s Joker performance. Still, how crazy would it have been to hear Curry’s distinctive voice as the Joker? How would that have changed the tone of BTAS or any future Batman media, like the Arkham series of video games? Batman pop culture could have been very different if not for Curry’s sickness at the time. But as the Joker says, all it takes is one bad day.
