6 Actors Who Would Make Better Jokers than Jared Leto

Article by Gabe Zia

Okay so now that the massively hyped up Joker performance in Suicide Squad came out as Jared Letos pathetic, embarrassing, and even obnoxious take on the character, I have no doubt in my mind that I could live the rest of my life without ever having to see him as The Joker ever again. And, with the recent news surrounding how pissed he is about Suicide Squad, the idea of Warner Brothers recasting the role doesn't seem like it's that unlikely. So, if Warner does the right thing and casts another, much better actor who's less of a pain in the ass on set, these are the actors I think would be amazing. Keep in mind if you liked Jared Leto's Joker, that's totally fine, I just personally didn't and I wanted to write about that.

6. Alexander Skarsgard

So if there's anything that I enjoyed about Suicide Squads Joker, it was the look. Other than one clever scene involving the Bat symbol, the look was the best part. It was unique, it has an interesting aesthetic, and even Jared Leto doesn't actually look that bad in costume. So, if Warner Brothers wanted to go for something as similar as possible to Jared Letos look, but wouldn't overact or be a jerk on set, the first guy that comes to mind is Alexander Skarsgard. Right of the bat he kind of has the pretty boy look Leto has, but has the advantage of being a more down to Earth person, which I think would benefit this role. I mean arguably the best Joker is Mark Hamill and he's the most down to Earth guy who has ever lived.

5. Nicolas Cage

Okay so now that we're done with down to Earth actors, let's move on. The Joker is a pretty all around crazy character, so one of the better choices would be someone who is already crazy as is if you want the actor to get into the role. Jared Leto tried to do that, but being a stoner hipster and being crazy don't go together at all, so why not cast the guy who can play crazy so well that he's basically convinced the entire world that he's actually a madman? Whether or not he'd fit the look, I can't say. Maybe a more Dark Knight Returns-ish Joker look would work for Nicolas Cage.

4. Sharlto Copley

So continuing the list of actors who could play unhinged and absolutely out of their mind character really well, there's Sharlto Copley. If you ask me, he's probably the most diverse actor working today, the guy could practically play anybody and I would be totally convinced. Some of the time, he's so good that I have no idea he was in the movie until after I've seen it, he's unrecognizable every time. That's someone who I could see handling a character like The Joker.

3. Ben Mendelsohn

There's a lot of character traits that define the Joker, however cheif among them is "asshole". On top of being erratic, unpredictable, and crazy, the Joker is just a straight up dickhead who has no qualms about doing things that aren't just evil but are inherently mean-spirited. And when it comes to playing assholes, there's very few actors I can think of who do it quite like Ben Mendelsohn. Between his roles in Place Beyond the Pines, Bloodline, and Killing them Softly, he's shown he can play unlikable despicable human beings in a way that is not only strangely compelling but very believable.

2. Iwan Rheon

Okay so Ramsey Bolton is basically a medival-era fantasy version of The Joker. His manic, crazy behavior, his selfish and over confident behavior, even his microexpressions are very Joker-ish. Slap on some white makeup, a green wig, red lipstick, and you've got yourself a bonified Joker. Not only that, but much lik #6, he would fit the look that would be needed for a more seamless transition from Jared Leto to Iwan Rheon. However, unlike Jared Leto, this actor would have some legit talent.

1. Joseph Gilgun

In my opinion, Joseph Gilgun would be pretty perfectly cast to play The Joker. His roles in the past have shownt hat he's capable of playing psychotic in a way that is believably crazy but also enjoyably entertaining. It's the kind of perfect balance that any good Joker actor would need. Although his Joker would definitely be a significantly different Joker than Jared Letos, I don't really see that as a bad thing. He knows just how to play an unhinged character without ever overstepping his bounds and becoming obnoxious about that. And if he weren't such a criminally underrated actor, I'd be totally shocked if he wasn't their first choice for the character, because he's goddamn perfect.