Barry Keoghan reveals the one thing he wanted for his role in The Batman 2. Keoghan, 29, has had a fascinating early start to his career. He played alongside Mark Rylance in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and had smaller roles in independent films like American Animals and The Green Knight. Likely the most iconic role in his career so far is playing the psychopathic kid Martin in The Killing of a Sacred Deer. For many independent film fans, Keoghan’s idiosyncratic and disturbing rhythms as Martin were unforgettable, elevating him to a new level of actor.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Keoghan will take on a creepy role again with The Batman 2, this time with one that people know well: The Joker. Keoghan first made a brief cameo as the Joker at the end of The Batman (2022), whose main villain was Paul Dano’s Riddler. The end of The Batman teased a friendship between the Joker and the Riddler, so it is likely that The Batman 2 will see some joint villain options. Keoghan will have to follow in the footsteps of some iconic actors–including Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and Joaquin Phoenix–who have all played The Joker.
As he prepares for his Joker role, Keoghan explains his one request for the creative team in a recent interview with GQ. As the makeup team crafted a mangled prosthetic face for Keoghan's Joker, he insisted that his natural blue eyes stay the same. The actor went on to clarify that this look would make the audience aware of “the human in there behind the makeup” and connect them closer with his character as an individual. Check out the full quote from Keoghan:
“[The Joker is] a bit charming and a bit hurt. I wanted some sort of human in there behind the makeup. I want people to relate to him. . .[to know] this is a facade he puts in. [The character is] a broken-down boy.”
How This Joker Will Be Different
The Joker’s makeup and hairstyling is one of the most critical aspects of the character. Jokers like Nicholson have been given a more caricatured approach, whereas Ledger’s Joker looked significantly more disfigured. It seems like Keoghan’s Joker will align more with the likes of Ledger. However, with Keoghan’s sharp blue eyes still maintained rather than erased by any sort of contacts, The Batman 2’s Joker may bring a more immediate sense of humanity, as Keoghan desires. The most recent Joker-film Joker, which will also get a sequel soon, certainly portrays its lead as “a broken-down boy” too, but Keoghan’s striking eyes could bring that extra layer to the physical look of The Joker.
Then, it is just a matter of whether Keoghan’s acting can match the caliber of the dynamic character that he wants to present. Keoghan is following some all-time great performances. Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his work in The Dark Knight. Phoenix’s recent performance in the role was also praised, and will likely be compared directly to Keoghan’s as Joker 2 asThe Batman 2 will be released in relatively proximity. Will Keoghan deliver a stunning performance as The Joker? Time will tell as audiences await The Batman 2’s release.