10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About The DC Animated Universe
8. Tim Curry Recorded Multiple Episodes As The Joker (And Can Still Be Heard In One)
While Conroy may not have been a Batfan before landing the DCAU's lead role, his onscreen nemesis Mark Hamill absolutely was and lobbied hard for a part in the new animated series. The one that he was given, though, was not The Joker, but rather GothCorp CEO Ferris Boyle, a one-off role as the catalyst for Mr. Freeze's poignant new backstory in the Emmy-winning episode Heart Of Ice.
Many people may know that Tim Curry was the first choice for the part. Coming off the back of the original miniseries version of IT and with an impressive voice acting resume, he was a far more obvious Clown Prince of Crime than the erstwhile Luke Skywalker.
Fewer people are aware, though, that not only did Curry record three whole episodes in the part, but that his sinister Joker laugh is still audible in one of them.
It has been suggested that Curry was dropped because he was just "too scary", but the likelihood is that doing the voice was too much of a strain on his vocal chords (Curry has said that he had bronchitis). Either way, the role had to be recast and Hamill (who was keen on a regular role rather than a guest slot) landed the part instead.
Nevertheless, in Be a Clown, one of the early Joker episodes, now re-recorded with Hamill doing the voice, the recording of Curry's laugh was reused for a creepy robot clown. So, if you want a sense of how his Joker would have sounded, just look out for that.