Matt Reeves’ The Batman introduced comic book fans to varied takes on some of the key elements of the Caped Cruasder’s mythos. That includes a grimier version of the Joker, who was played by Barry Keoghan in the 2022 film. The talented actor really caught viewers’ attention with his work, even though his presence in the film was minimal. Since then, Keoghan has fielded questions about the role and whether he’ll reprise it in upcoming DC movies. More recently though, he explained the makeup process for the character, and it sounds grueling, especially considering just how small his role was.
There are a lot of actors who’ve had to endure extensive makeup applications for roles. That’s especially true when it comes to a blockbuster like Matt Reeves’ superhero epic. For instance, a lot of work went into making Colin Farrell into Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin. When speaking to CinemaBlend, Farrell admitted that he was “giddy” about getting to disappear into such a role. Barry Keoghan didn’t complain when speaking about his own transformation into the Clown Prince of Crime, though it sounds like it was a bit rough on him:
That took six hours to get into that, and it was like oh man, I couldn't sit still or six hours, I really couldn't.
In the theatrical cut of The Batman, Joker only appears during a brief scene that takes place in Arkham Asylum, during which he befriends Paul Dano’s Edward Nashton (The Riddler). A subsequently released deleted scene later showed the Dark Knight visiting the deranged clown at the facility in order to get his perspective on (the then-yet-to-be-captured) Nashton. Keeping in mind just how brief the Banshees of Inisherin star’s role is, six hours is indeed a lot of time to commit to makeup. Obviously, the actor was being paid, but that prospect probably doesn’t make the process much easier.
What complicated the situation even more though is that the production was plagued with its share of starts and stops due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic several years ago. Barry Keoghan went on to speak about the health crisis’ effect on the film shoot while breaking down his supervillain role for GQ in a YouTube video. He specifically recalled the moment he learned that work was going to be halted:
I remember we were around five hours in, and someone went 'We're shutting production down, there's COVID.' I was like 'Huh? Really? What? What happened?' There was this steel thing that went [into my cheek] and it was like slicing in. I was like, I'm really going to be left with a scar here.
That metal component doesn’t seem to have left a mark on the star’s face but, there now may be a chance that he’ll have to wear it again at some point. It’s widely known that The Batman – Part II (which we have some intel on) is on the way. When asked about the sequel, Barry Keoghan, who sent in an audition tape for the Riddler, admitted to being unsure whether he’d be back. However, he did indicate that he has big plans for Joker should Matt Reeves and co. give him a call. I’m hopeful that Keoghan does get to play the role again – and that the makeup process gets a bit easier for him the next time around.
To see the star’s work as the iconic DC Comics baddie, grab a Max subscription and stream The Batman. Prime Video subscribers can also check out his latest movie, Saltburn, at this time.
