Barry Keoghan's Recent Comments On His Joker Role Hint At A Major The Batman 2 Problem
Jessica Wilkins Keoghan recently commented on the involved nature of his preparation to get in full Joker costume for The Batman, which could bode ill for the sequel.
Summary
- Barry Keoghan's iteration of the Joker in The Batman is obscured in the shadows but is likely to have a pivotal role in the sequel.
- Keoghan's Joker makeup took a long time to apply, causing difficulties for the actor and potentially posing a challenge for future appearances.
- If the Joker does have a larger role in The Batman - Part II, the make-up will need to be overhauled to grant to actor more mobility and freedom.
Barry Keoghan's iteration of the Joker made a very brief appearance in Matt Reeves' The Batman, but future appearances may have an obstacle to overcome. Audiences can glimpse what this Joker looks like in The Batman's deleted scenes, but Keoghan's take on The Clown Prince of Crime is obscured in the shadows when he appears toward the end of the film. It is clear that the Joker is likely to play a pivotal role in the upcoming The Batman - Part II, making Barry Keoghan's villain one of the stars of the show.
The main villain to go up against the title character in The Batman is The Riddler (Paul Dano), through whom the movie hints at the sequel's key villain. Once defeated, The Riddler is sent to Arkham State Hospital, where his cell neighbor is none other than Joker, apparently already having terrorized Gotham once off-screen. Keoghan's face is concealed, barring some of the scars, but the Joker's defining laugh rings through the scene.
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In an interview with GQ, Keoghan commented on the make-up process for the role, stating it initially took six hours to become the Joker but was brought down to five. This may prove problematic if a similar process is required for future Joker appearances, especially since Keoghan himself stated he "couldn't sit still" for that long. The look involved heavy use of prosthetics to create a face that is heavily scarred, with a crooked mouth and teeth, and sunken eyes.
This amount of prep time for the role of Joker is highly irregular, given that Keoghan's predecessors in the role spent a fraction of the time getting their make-up applied. Keoghan's make-up process is closer to that of Mystique from X-Men, which was famously a problem for actress Jennifer Lawrence, than to any of the preceding Jokers. In comparison, the most recent iteration of the Joker, Joaquin Phoenix, reportedly got ready in a mere 15 minutes.
The Batman 2 Needs To Reduce Barry Keoghan's Joker Makeup Time
Aside from struggling to sit still while getting his make-up done, Keoghan also stated that he could barely move or get up while in full costume. This could bode poorly for The Batman 2, where the general expectation is a significant amount of screen time dedicated to the Joker. Firstly, if Keoghan is having issues with the process in just one appearance, the problem could worsen with regular sittings in the make-up chair. Second, if The Batman 2's Joker is meant to actively terrorize Gotham, it is important that Keoghan be able to move around freely in costume.
Prior to Keoghan, the longest make-up application time for the Joker was for Jared Leto, clocking in at three hours. Given the chasm between Leto's panned performance and Phoenix's acclaimed one, it is clear that the role is not remotely defined by how long it takes to get ready. Keoghan's performance in The Batman's sequel will be defined by just that — his performance — if the makeup allows him.
