“Red Hood” Joker Influenced by Caesar Romero

When “Batman: Under the Red Hood” hits DVD and Blu Ray next month, fans of the campy 60’s series may notice that this version of the Joker, voiced by John DiMaggio, seems a bit familiar. That’s because DiMaggio, who provides the voice of Bender on “Futurama,” says that the portrayal of the Joker by actor Caesar Romero in the classic live-action series was a major influence on his interpretation of the role.

“I actually would’ve loved to see Cesar Romero take the role to its darkness,” said DiMaggio. “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,” continued DiMaggio. “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.”

“I just wanted to honor the real true lunacy of the character,” added DiMaggio. “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.”

Adapted by Judd Winick from a story he wrote in the “Batman” comic, “Under the Red Hood” deals with the return of Jason Todd, the second Robin who was brutally beaten to death by the Joker.

DiMaggio also offered his insight into the Joker’s mindset.

“I think the Joker thinks of himself, quite literally, as a necessary evil,” related DiMaggio. “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.”

“Batman: Under The Red Hood” will also star Bruce Greenwood (“Star Trek”) as Batman, Jensen Ackles (“Supernatural”) as the Red Hood, Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) as Nightwing and Jason Isaacs as Ra’s Al Ghul.