John Lithgow Regrets Turning Down the Role of The Joker in Tim Burton's BATMAN

John LithgowwJohn Lithgow is best known for his Oscar-nominated roles in the dramedies The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment, as well as his Emmy-nominated shows 3rd Rock From the Sun, Dexter, The Crown and Perry Mason. He was also excellent in Footloose, The Manhattan Project, Shrek, Interstellar, Daddy’s Home 2, and Bombshell, as well as so many other films and series, but one role he can’t add to his resume is The Joker.

Several decades ago, director Tim Burton was assembling his cast for the 1989 movie Batman, and he gave Lithgow a call for the role of The Joker. This was before a superhero role was a huge get in Hollywood. It sounded like more of a joke to the Tony Award-winning Broadway star, so he essentially bombed his audition.

He told Vulture in a 2017 interview (via /Film):

"I have never told anyone this story, but I tried to persuade him I was not right for the part, and I succeeded. I didn't realize it was such a big deal. About a week later I heard they were going after Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson."

As it turned out, it wasn't just Burton who Lithgow turned down, either. Even when Joe Dante was still in line to direct, Lithgow turned it down, and he talks about his regret, saying:

"I was doing 'M. Butterfly' on Broadway and it was an exhausting show. It would have meant leaving that show and going right into a movie, and I said, 'I just don't think I can'. How about that for stupid? Actors are not necessarily smart people."

I think everything turned out alright for Lithgow, and everyone knows Jack Nicholson was meant to play that part. It must be a bummer to look back on the roles you misjudged though.