It is kind of remarkable that thanks to The Disaster Artist and a renewed interest in The Room, the man responsible for what is considered to be one of the worst movies ever made is now a part of the movie news cycle. But such is the power of personality and Tommy Wiseau has it in spades. The actor and director has recently been campaigning to play the Joker in the upcoming origin film for Batman's greatest foe that will be apart from the shared DC film universe. Tommy Wiseau is not one for subtlety and as such, he didn't stop at just tweeting director Todd Phillips or promoting some fan art. No, Tommy Wiseau went all in, got into full Joker makeup and played the character's greatest hits with an intangible 'it' factor that only he could provide. Get over your loyalty to the Heath Ledger portrayal and take a look at the video, below.
And you thought Mark Hamill's version of the character was animated. I don't know what I was expecting but this is both what I would have predicted and also something I was entirely unprepared for. Tommy Wiseau delivers some of the Joker's most famous lines, first uttered on screen by the likes of Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson, and puts his own spin on them in the video from The Nerdist. His look is closer to that of Heath Ledger's Joker than Cesar Romero's, Jack Nicholson's or Jared Leto's but his performance is entirely his own. This is truly over the top and ridiculous in every way you would expect from the eccentric artist. Tommy Wiseau said that Jared Leto's Joker didn't have enough emotion, so he goes to the opposite end of the spectrum here. Tommy Wiseau's facial expressions, energetic movements and penchant for breaking into yelling create a Joker that is unlike any we have seen before.
As a character, the Joker is meant to both frighten and disturb, unsettling you with his madness and chaotic nature and doing it all with a smile on his face. I suppose, in that regard, Tommy Wiseau has made a solid case for himself in the role here. He certainly appears crazy, although I'm not sure what tone that a Joker movie would have to strike for Wiseau's performance to fit in it, perhaps cringe comedy? Sadly for Tommy Wiseau, I don't know if this audition tape will land him the role he sees himself so perfect for. Todd Phillips' untitled Joker movie may be eyeing Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix for the role, however the actor is playing coy about the possibility. But with an endless comic book movie future ahead of us, maybe Tommy Wiseau will someday find his eccentric personality perfectly suited to a larger than life character, Arcade perhaps?
Tommy Wiseau next reunites with The Room co-star Greg Sestero for Best F(r)iends, releasing in select theaters soon. You can check out all the biggest movies hitting theaters this year in our release schedule, and for all the latest movie news tearing us apart, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
