There have been many great actors who have portrayed the Joker in live-action, going back to Cesar Romero in Batman ’66. Heck, two actors have even won Academy Awards for playing the Crown Prince of Crime. But one actor who really should have played the Joker never did. We’re talking about Willem Dafoe, who has played many a Joker-esque character on screen, including Marvel’s Green Goblin.
Now, one very talented sculptor on YouTube by the name of Crafty Art has imagined what Dafoe would look like as Batman’s arch-nemesis, by creating an amazingly accurate bust. It took some 300 hours to complete, but you can view the whole process in just 11 minutes. You can watch the Dafoe Joker come to life in the video down below:
Could we ever see a Dafoe Joker for real? Well, Crafty Art hopes their sculpture manifests the idea into reality. Here is what they said on their YouTube channel:
I think it would be incredible to see Willem Dafoe playing along with Joaquin Phoenix in the upcoming Joker movie sequel Folie a Deux, which translates to “Shared Madness“. He is old enough to be playing Arthur Fleck’s father, and since Thomas Wayne was revealed to not be his dad, I think this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for Willem to take on the role of Joker’s father. Maybe if this idea catches on and gets to Todd Philips, maybe it could happen. Who knows. It’s not the first time an actor was fan cast.
You won’t hear us arguing against this fan casting. In fact, Willem Dafoe very nearly was the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. The film’s screenwriter, Sam Hamm, had wanted Dafoe for the part, and even told the actor he had him in mind. But ultimately, they went with Jack Nicholson. But we say it’s never too late. Dafoe’s turns as Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home proved he’s still got the sinister cackle. Now, all he needs is the clown makeup. Dafoe certainly has ideas about playing a Joker character. In the meantime, at least we’ve got this ultra-cool statue to show us what might be.
