Jack Nicholson explained that he wanted his Joker in BATMAN to scare kids

I was eleven when I went to see Tim Burton’S Batman on the big screen. I saw the film at the iconic Chinese Theater in Hollywood and it’s one of those few heartwarming experiences from growing up that is etched in my memory, and it was a blast!

Michael Keaton was amazing as Batman, e Jack Nicholson it was amazing as The Joker! I was a huge fan of Nicholson’s Joker, as he brought that villain to life in such a fun and playful way. As a kid I wasn’t afraid of the character, I liked that he was so twisted and sinister.

But, when Nicholson set out to bring this character to life, one thing he wanted to do as a character was scare children. Nicholson previously rethought the Joker’s role and how he’s committed to a darker take on the Batman universe. He said:

“I was scared because of my feel for television series and the way movies tend to be shot and talked about. I didn’t want this to go through the normal, ‘Let’s light this up for the kids.’ I thought this was a very strong transition film, by the way, about the genre, and why they wanted me in there.

That Batman transitioned from a campy feel to a darker, grittier tone that was previously established in the comics. Burton was the man for the job to make that happen, and Nicholson wanted to bring that darkness to his version of the Joker. Speaking of wanting to scare kids as the Joker, he explained:

“My first experience working for an audience full of kids – the more you scare them, the more they like it. The worse you are, the better, because that was my response to the Joker. “you literally watched. Every kid loves this guy, I think.”

I guess that explains why I liked his version of the villain so much!

Source: THR