Given just how iconic and prolific one of the best Batman actors of all time was in the role of the Dark Knight, it’s striking to learn they actually considered playing a totally different character in their DC debut instead. The range of actors who have played Batman over the years have been some of the best in the superhero genre, with each and every person to wear the cowl bringing their own unique take on the character. Perhaps because of this extensive and ranged history, many of the actors who’ve played the hero over the years have revealed the complications of their path to being a successful Batman.
Robert Pattinson talked about worrying he couldn’t be cast for The Batman because of leaks about him being considered for the role in an interview with Variety, and even Christian Bale mentioned in an interview with The Washington Post that “I had tons of people laugh at me and just say, ‘Well, that’s just not going to work at all‘” in regards to Batman Begins and its serious take on the hero. As it turns out, one other surprising Batman actor has a similar story in this regard, having considered taking on a different role to the Dark Knight.
Kevin Conroy Initially Auditioned For A Very Different Character To Batman
Kevin Conroy is rightly now one of the most iconic Batman actors of all time, having lent his voice to Bruce and his vigilante alter ego for decades after starting out with Batman: The Animated Series. While both Conroy and those who cast him have discussed how fated his Batman casting seemed to be – with Bruce Timm stating in an interview with Vulture that “right out of the gate, without any extra direction from us, he just nailed it” – the actor also previously mentioned he found himself interested in a different role.
Conroy discussed his interest in playing an alternate character in a 2020 interview for Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside Of You, commenting: “I wanted to audition for Bullock! … I thought that would be a more fun character.” The Batman alumni also told a similar story in the crew’s 2017 Vulture interview, stating that “When I just read the script that they sent me [later], it looked to me like [supporting character] Harvey Bullock was a much more interesting character, and Commissioner Gordon, too. So I went in and I said, “Can I audition for the character roles?”“
Unsurprisingly, Conroy’s very successful Batman audition meant this wasn’t something those involved in the casting appear to have considered, with the actor explaining that after this, “Andrea [Romano] said, “Do you understand that, if you get Batman, you’ll be in every episode? Stop trying to talk us out of hiring you!” Instead, Kevin Conroy was cast as the lead hero of Batman: The Animated Series – a move that would go on to have a significant impact on DC’s on-screen history and the superhero genre as a whole.
Kevin Conroy’s Batman: The Animated Series Casting Helped Make Him One Of The Most Important Batman Actors Of All Time
Prior to Batman: The Animated Series, the majority of Kevin Conroy’s acting history was as a more classical actor, appearing in a series of on-screen releases before the show, but also several Shakespearean plays – something that Conroy attributes to his early understanding of Batman himself, who can be interpreted as similar to the often tragic and compelling heroes found within Shakespeare’s stories. From Batman: The Animated Series’ release onwards, however, things changed drastically, with Conroy becoming one of the names and voices most associated with the Caped Crusader over this time.
Kevin Conroy appeared as Batman in over 20 movies and shows over the course of his decades-long career as The Dark Knight, not to mention his appearances in several video games, including the also immensely successful Arkham series, further cementing his importance and contribution to the character as Batman grew into a more modern age. The gravitas and humanity Conroy made sure to imbue in the character – even at his most brooding and intimidating – proved crucial for each installment he appeared in, and it’s safe to say without his work, the on-screen history of Batman would look very different.
Kevin Conroy & Mark Hamill’s Audition Stories Make Their Batman & Joker History All The More Special
Interestingly enough, both Kevin Conroy and Batman: The Animated Series Joker actor Mark Hamill have talked about how their audition and casting process almost turned out very differently when it comes to the show, making the fact we got such a phenomenal hero and villain combo actor-wise feel even more special. Hamill has previously explained that he believed his Joker audition was essentially doomed, with his past as Luke Skywalker potentially meaning he was too famous a hero to be given a villain role, especially after Michael Keaton’s Batman casting drew criticism for a not dissimilar reason.
Given just how lauded both Conroy’s Batman performance and Hamill’s Joker performance are – and how much the duo have become crucial cornerstones of their respective characters’ histories, especially given the number of projects they reprized their roles alongside one another in – the fact both are still able to look back and open up about how uncertain things looked in the early days feels all the more noteworthy, and all the more impressive. Similarly, seeing how easily things could have gone differently really serves to underline how lucky we are in many ways to have gotten these iconic castings.
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