Meet the Joker from Batman Under the Red Hood movie

Meet the Joker from Batman Under the Red Hood movie

Known to adults as “Bender” in Futurama and tweens as “Dr. Drakken” in Kim Possible, John DiMaggio takes an iconic step forward as the voice of The Joker in Batman: Under the Red Hood.

By EdGross - May 25, 2010 03:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman (Animated)
In the film, Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red
Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part
criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the
efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. And
when The Joker falls in the balance between the two forces of justice,
hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.

DiMaggio gets free reign to play the iconic villain amidst a stellar
voice cast that includes Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) as the Caped
Crusader, Supernatural star Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, and Neil
Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Nightwing.

Best known for his near-100 episodes as “Bender,” DiMaggio has
parlayed his deep, gravelly tones and versatile acting style into a
major force on the voiceover scene for the past decade. DiMaggio’s
credits include roles in Kim Possible, Samurai Jack, Teen Titans,
Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Duck
Dodgers, Jackie Chan Adventures, The Penguins of Madagascar and
Chowder.

Voiceover has so dominated his time that DiMaggio has virtually
abandoned his on-camera career – despite past work as a regular cast
member on Chicago Hope and a number of guest roles in TV series such
as Becker, N.Y.P.D. Blue, Felicity, Bones, Without a Trace and My Name
is Earl.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is the next entry in the popular ongoing
series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies from Warner
Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length
film will be distributed by Warner Home Video on July 27, 2010 as a
Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2-disc DVD, as well as being
available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.

But before you race to Amazon to pre-order your copy, take a minute to
get to know John DiMaggio.



QUESTION:
What were your initial thoughts about assuming this iconic role?

JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I was shocked when I got the role, shocked when I came in to record,
and shocked when I saw the finished product during ADR. I just wanted
to honor the real true lunacy of the character. I didn’t want to make
him campy, but I wanted to pay a little bit of tribute to the past
Jokers – and yet keep it original at the same time. That’s walking a
fine line, if there ever was one.

It was a little intimidating because it is such an iconic role. It’s
an honor to get this job -- and especially to play the Joker in this
version because it’s so dark and twisted. I felt like I got a really
wonderful opportunity.




QUESTION:
Can you remember your early connections with the Batman mythology, and
how any of the previous Joker actors might have influenced your
performance in this role?

JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I think the thing that influenced me the most when I was young is the
television show, which is really sad because there have been so many
great comics and graphic novels and stories about the Dark Knight that
I haven’t been able to delve into yet – and yet I know about them. I
actually would’ve loved to see Cesar Romero take the role to its
darkness. There was a bit of Cesar Romero in what I did, but it’s
Cesar Romero if he was in A Clockwork Orange.

I guess my naiveté in my approach kind of kept it clean. I wasn’t
trying to do a Jack (Nicholson) or a Heath (Ledger). I respect all the
folks that have come before me, and their take on the character. Mark
Hamill is awesome, Heath Ledger was unbelievable, and Jack Nicholson –
what can you say? But I wanted to do my own thing.



QUESTION:
Was there any particular direction you wanted to take this Joker?

JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I wanted to cover what I saw on the paper, and I wanted to ensure
Andrea (Romano, casting/dialogue director) got exactly what she
wanted. Usually if the script is good enough, you know where your
emotions should be, where your character lies. It should all be in the
dialogue, and it certainly was.




QUESTION:
How do you interpret the Joker’s mindset?

JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I think the Joker thinks of himself, quite literally, as a necessary
evil. And when I say that, I mean he really feels there is a place for
him, and that he somehow balances the chaos with the non-chaos. It’s a
yin and yang thing. And it’s really not personal, it’s business.
Although he can get personal and he enjoys it. That makes it that much
more twisted.


QUESTION:
You’ve certainly done more than your share of villains. Do you prefer
to go to the dark side?

JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I love playing the villains. I’ll play anything, I don’t care. As long
as its not tons of walla or gasping, I’m good. I hate the inhale.


QUESTION:
When you were a kid, did you ever imagine you’d be voicing cartoons
for a living?

JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I was a class clown – I basically started acting when I was a kid. I
wanted to play drums, but I couldn’t afford a drum set. It was easier
to be in a play, so it just kind of happened. I walked into voiceover
in New York in 1994. I was doing stand-up (comedy) at the time, and
was looking to get out of it and into acting. An actor buddy of mine,
Zak Orth, said it was a way to make a good living between acting gigs.
I moved to LA, because there’s more animation here, and the rest is
history. So yeah, thanks Zak – give me a ring.



QUESTION:
Your primary focus is voiceovers these days. Do you have any
inclination to do more live-action acting or stand-up comedy?

JOHN DIMAGGIO:
On-camera acting is fun, but I don’t miss it. Voiceovers are quicker,
and you get to work with such amazing, talented people – it’s a blast
to play in the studio with these actors and writers and directors.
With (on-camera) acting, there so much more waiting around, and my
patience has run thin. Plus it beats the hell out of slinging jokes
six nights a week at a Chuckle Hut in East Bumbleblard.



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ViperXX79
ViperXX79 - 5/25/2010, 3:52 AM
Studios need to understand two things when making an animated Batman movie:

Kevin Conroy = Batman
Mark Hamill = Joker
KillerOfSaints
KillerOfSaints - 5/25/2010, 4:12 AM
I wonder if they could both copyright any future voice work. without them as bats and joker, it will always be missing something. Bader as batman on cartoon network is cool though, but as for any full lenght movies it needs to be Kevin Conroy and Skywalker
thedon786
thedon786 - 5/25/2010, 4:20 AM
sweat love batman
SuperPowered
SuperPowered - 5/25/2010, 4:26 AM
Kevin Conroy as Batman always! They should use his voice in place of Christian Bale's throat cancer version in the movies too.
SkunkApe1
SkunkApe1 - 5/25/2010, 5:24 AM
Sorry, that part is owned by Mark Hamill.
Smolo
Smolo - 5/25/2010, 5:25 AM
I have heard the audio files for the voices and OMG Batman sounds just WRONG!
SuperPowered
SuperPowered - 5/25/2010, 6:04 AM
that's awesome pic teabag, lol
THEMRTERRIFIC
THEMRTERRIFIC - 5/25/2010, 6:13 AM
Awesome teabag!!

LOL!
WeaponX
WeaponX - 5/25/2010, 6:20 AM
In the last picture the Joker looks a bit like Solomon Grundy from the old JLU series.
vonstallin
vonstallin - 5/25/2010, 6:22 AM
lol
batmbl
batmbl - 5/25/2010, 6:56 AM
I can't wait for this to come out on DVD. It looks like it may be the best Batman animation story yet. I agree though...Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill would have been the perfect choice for this level of story.
fanboiii
fanboiii - 5/25/2010, 7:07 AM
I like how they added parts of Ledger's Joker to the look.

TheSoulEater
TheSoulEater - 5/25/2010, 7:11 AM
I'll always love mark hamil as joker..........in fact he IS joker in my mind so thats closed as a verdict, but I'm satisfied that in this peice in which they ont have the original gang of Kevin Coneroy or Ephriam Zimblest jr. and such, that Someone with tenacity will be taken up the honor of Joker. And not whore out the character like others have done.

Now i did like Kevin Michael Richardson in THE BATMAN version of the joker, Black guy-dreads and all, he was a new look at the joker in a high paced version of the character batman, like a jackie chan movie we arent in it for the intelectual tickling, just the coolness, and he made a joker that was spry, almost out of his mind jester crazy, and yet serious enough that you knew he was maniacy evil to through a kid into a vat of acid.

I was actualy excited when i heard that the "NEW" voice for Joker in this was John Dimagio. I knew him from Kim possible and many other characters he voiced on the show besides Draken, as well as on other shows, and he has a VERY good capabilty of doing a Street Rat Crazy voice with evil to shiver you down.

comicb00kguy
comicb00kguy - 5/25/2010, 7:41 AM
I've got nothing against casting someone new as the Joker. As long as he's trying to do his own version of the character, and not imitate one of his predecessors in the role, I say give DiMaggio a chance. He might be awesome. He seems to have a good attitude towards things, being respectful of those who came before him, and mindful of the iconic role he's playing.

This is not to say that I disagree about Conroy and Hamill being the definitive voices of Batman and the Joker in animated appearances. That fact is indisputable, imho. However, I still don't mind seeing others given a chance to bring their vision of the characters to life. There are many different interpretations of Batman and the Joker in various media over the years, from the "dark" to the silly, and all points inbetween. There are many ways to approach the characters as actors. That's part of what makes them so great to me. There is no one single "right" way to write or portray them.
MassExecutions1
MassExecutions1 - 5/25/2010, 7:41 AM
I understand the preference for Mark Hamil, but I CANNOT say a bad word against the man who voiced Bender. I love Futurama. My favorite Bender moment out of many:

Voice on T.V.: Is today's hectic lifestyle making you tense and impatient?
Bender: Shut up and get to the point!
EdGross
EdGross - 5/25/2010, 8:06 AM
Teabag, that image with Joan Rivers cracked me up. VERY funny.
Stumblin
Stumblin - 5/25/2010, 8:31 AM
Wow! I really like the style they're going with for this animation. For once it doesn't look like some crap ass JLA where everyone looks the same just with different colors.

Fanboiii, I have a question, how is this animated Joker have any resemblance or nods to Ledger's Joker? The black around the eyes was done before the movie, sooo what are you talking about?
DLM
DLM - 5/25/2010, 8:37 AM
Hamill and Conroy forever!!

I'll give this a chance obviously, it is Batman afterall, lol. I just know it won't feel right without them doing the voices. Just like the last couple of JLA movies where they got 'famous' people to do the voices, instead of the originals, like it'll make the movie better somehow.

Also, everytime Owlman spoke all i could think was... ooooo piece of candy! lol.
TheSentry
TheSentry - 5/25/2010, 8:53 AM
@DLM1POINTS
i agree Hamill and Conroy are the best match up for a batman animated movie.

maybe its just me but in the animated pics don't the joker look older wit winkles on his face
fire59019
fire59019 - 5/25/2010, 9:21 AM
Mark Hamill should always be the joker. I like Kevin Conroy but Bruce Greenwood is a really good actor (i.e. captain pike) I am really curious about seeing him as batman. Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing could be really good.
DogsOfWar
DogsOfWar - 5/25/2010, 9:40 AM
I was looking forward to seeing his take on Joker...until I saw he's a Jets fan! boo, hiss.

Good stuff Ed
peterparker420
peterparker420 - 5/25/2010, 10:45 AM
He is AWESOME as BENDER.. FUTURAMA IS COMING BACK!!

I can't wait to see his take on the joker!
foxwolf2099
foxwolf2099 - 5/25/2010, 10:48 AM
it'll be interesting how he fares against the rest of the Joker's of the animated world

behindthevoiceactors.com/voice-compare/Batman/Joker/

so many different interpretations for the same character. it's pretty crazy but they all mostly seem to work well.
marvel72
marvel72 - 5/25/2010, 11:23 AM
@ totally agree mark hamill forever,he is so much more than just luke skywalker also kevin conroy is batman.
SHAZAM171
SHAZAM171 - 5/25/2010, 12:39 PM
?????ANYBODY KNOW WHERE I CAN PURCHASE THIS FOR MY COLLECTION???????
I"VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS HELMET FOR A WHILE NOW.
BillyBlack
BillyBlack - 5/25/2010, 12:51 PM
I'm Hamill for life.

But Bender is an interesting selection. Can't say I'm not curious.
InstigatorGIRL
InstigatorGIRL - 5/25/2010, 1:04 PM
Awesome stuff ED! I know I have said this so many times before but I can't wait for this movie. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Red Hood/Jason Todd and I can't wait to see him on the screen. I am curious how Jensen Ackles will do voicing him as well.
JerusalemJr
JerusalemJr - 5/25/2010, 1:23 PM
No one will beat Hamill as the Joker voice for the cartoons or even video games. Hamill is the man! That being said, this guy probably wont do too bad..... but Hamill was the best!
Stumblin
Stumblin - 5/25/2010, 1:40 PM
I looked this up on YouTube and got a taste of Joker's laugh, seems pretty damn on. Even though they have a different Batman, even his seems to fit.

I love the original voice cast but eventually we'll need someone new. Everybody dies sometime.
Vital
Vital - 5/25/2010, 2:09 PM
I don't understand why you said one lesser known job the voice actor took over his very well known voices for Marcus Phenix (Gears of War) and Bender from Futurama (which you named). GoW is bigger than "Kim Possible". No offense. That sub-title you wrote really bothered me.
Dex1986
Dex1986 - 5/25/2010, 5:16 PM
I'll agree that I enjoy Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy quite a bit and that they are and should be considered some of the truest versions of these characters. That being said, the brief sound clip of DiMaggio voicing the Joker sounded great to me. I think that he is a very talented voice actor. Bruce Greenwood was my problem. I feel his voice is... too smokey. He reminds me of Dark Knight Christian Bale Lite. Other than that one thing though I cannot wait for this movie to come out!
InstigatorGIRL
InstigatorGIRL - 5/25/2010, 5:24 PM
BTW This is the joygasm that goes on in my head when I read or see anything about this movie because it has Red Hood! LOL. JK.



P.S. That clip totally makes me wanna go out and party and get shit faced...
InstigatorGIRL
InstigatorGIRL - 5/25/2010, 5:31 PM
@Username I like NPH as Nightwing. Just the small clips I've seen he really seems to fit. I like him more as Nightwing than Ackles as Red Hood. The other thing about NPH is he always delivers in a role no matter what role it is. So I am confident in him.
wildstar13
wildstar13 - 5/25/2010, 5:43 PM
I agree, Mark Hamill was and always will be the best Joker.
RaxusPrime
RaxusPrime - 5/25/2010, 5:48 PM
John Dimaggio does great voice acting guys. I personally love him as Bender and Sideways in Transformers ROTF the game.
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