Batman: Mark Hamill Reveals How to Do His Joker Laugh

Of all the portrayals of the Joker, there may not be any that are quite as iconic as Mark Hamill's. While the legendary actor has brought numerous roles to life during his career — he is Luke Skywalker, after all — it's his work voicing The Clown Prince of Crime in Batman: The Animated Series that is the gold standard for the Dark Knight's primary antagonist according to many fans due in no small part because of the maniacal laugh Hamill gives Joker. The laugh is so iconic that it's something that Hamill is frequently asked to recreate by fans when they see him out in public, and now, Hamill is revealing how it's done — and why it's not something one can simply do on command.

"I get asked to this," Hamill said while doing Wired's Autocomplete interview in which he answered the internet's most searched questions about himself. "I'll be in the grocery store. It could be Toys "R" Us. 'Do the laugh. Do the laugh" Well, first of all you have to warm up. It's like a car engine. If you just rip, it'll hurt your throat. And plus, there's no subtle way to do it. So, I'm standing in a Toys "R" Us laughing maniacally and people are like, casting me worried looks like, 'What's that old man doing to that poor 10-year-old kid?' But I get asked to do it a lot."

Mark Hamill will likely never return as the Joker.

While Hamill's take on the Joker is beloved and iconic, it's also something that the actor likely won't take on again. Earlier this year, Hamill revealed that the only way he would do the Joker is if Kevin Conroy was Batman. Conroy passed away late last year following a battle with cancer.

"They would call and say, 'They want you to do the Joker,' and my only question was, 'Is Kevin Batman?' If they said yes, I would say, 'I'm in.' We were like partners," Hamill said. "We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn't seem to be a Batman for me."

Hamill also spoke about how Conroy was his perfect partner for Batman: The Animated Series — and will always be his Batman.

"Kevin was perfection," Hamill said previously. "He was one of my favorite people on the planet and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him — his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated."

He continued, "Kevin was a brilliant actor. For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery — that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner — it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn't have done it without him. He will always be my Batman."

What do you think about Hamill's comments on how to do his iconic Joker laugh? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.