Alan Tudyk is already a legend in the nerd world, but he’s taking yet another step forward in the eyes of the DC faithful later this year, when he lends his voice to the iconic Joker on the new Harley Quinn animated series.
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Of course, while fans love all iterations of the Joker, none are more beloved or memorable than Mark Hamill, who voiced the villain on several occasions, most notably on Batman: The Animated Series. Any voice actor who takes on the role will forever be compared to Hamill’s performance, even a well-loved star like Tudyk.
There’s no need to worry, though. Tudyk is well aware of how much fans enjoy the work of his predecessor, and he’s not going to try to recreate what Hamill has done. On behalf of ComicBook.com, Scott Huver spoke with Tudyk about his role on the upcoming Doom Patrol series, and the subject of his take on the Joker came up.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. Again, I don’t know,” Tudyk began. “Here’s a funny story, Tony Hale plays Psycho, Doctor Psycho. He came in, and I’d said, ‘Hi,’ and he didn’t, I don’t know, I’d just finished recording and he was coming in to record and he was talking to the producer saying, ‘Oh yeah, the Joker, did y’all get Mark Hamill to do that?’ And I said, ‘No, they got me. I’m doing the Joker.’ Oh, he said, ‘Did you get Mark Hamill to do that ’cause if you didn’t get him it’s going to suck.’ ‘I’m doing the Joker.’ And he said, ‘Oh, I’m just saying that because I did the Joker and everybody said, ‘You’re not Mark Hamill. You suck.”
“So knowing I can’t be Mark Hamill, I haven’t listened to Mark Hamill. I have heard him, but I didn’t watch it so I couldn’t recreate it. He’s different in the way that he can cuss. I think that’s probably referring to be able to say, ‘Ah, fuck off.’ Having that in your ability and your Joker is fun. It’s a very funny cartoon, animated series, so I think the style of it lends itself to allowing more flexibility. I don’t know, man. I don’t know. I think I’m doing some of my voice and sometimes I’ll hear it, and when I watch the previews of it all, and I just sound like me. I hope it’s okay. I’m just hoping, yeah I hope it’s okay.”
Tudyk will take on the role of the Joker opposite Kaley Cuoco’s Harley Quinn. While there isn’t a firm released date for the animated series, it’s expected to launch on DC Universe sometime this fall. Doom Patrol is the next original to arrive on the streaming service, with its first episode premiering on Friday, February 15th.
Additional reporting by Scott Huver.
