13 Actors You Didn't Know Almost Played The Joker

3. John Lithgow

That's right, Dick Solomon himself nearly became The Joker in 1989's Batman, though reportedly turned the role down because he just couldn't see himself fitting the part properly. Would It Have Worked?: Despite Lithgow's own intuition, he could have been a pretty magnificent Joker. Though to younger audiences Lithgow was for a time best known for his comedic work, Lithgow committed himself to dark, villainous parts in thrillers prior to getting his 3rd Rock from the Sun role, in films such as Ricochet, Cliffhanger, Raising Cain and Blow Out. Lithgow may have a slightly unconventional look for The Joker as we know it (his face is a little more round), but he is a master at playing scary bad guys, as he made clear once again with his brilliant role as the Trinity Killer in Dexter a few years ago. Again, like several actors on this list, it is however harder to imagine him getting to grips with the song and dance aspects of the character...