John Di Maggio talks about taking on the iconic role in this upcoming DVD / Blu-ray release available July 27th
Known to adults as "Bender" in Futurama and tweens as "Dr. Drakken" in Kim Possible, John Di Maggio takes an iconic step forward as the voice of The Joker, the pivotal villain in the all-new DC Universe animated original movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood.
In the film, Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. And when The Joker falls in the balance between the two forces of justice, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.
John Di Maggio gets free reign to play the iconic villain amidst a stellar voice cast that includes Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) as the Caped Crusader, Supernatural star Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, and Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Nightwing.
Batman: Under the Red Hood is the next entry in the popular ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video on July 27, 2010 as a Special Edition [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] Blu-ray and Special Edition [2 Discs] DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.
We recently caught up with John Di Maggio to find out more about this exciting new animated feature-length film. Here is what he had to say:
What were your initial thoughts about assuming this iconic role?
John Di Maggio: I was shocked when I got the role, shocked when I came in to record, and shocked when I saw the finished product during ADR. I just wanted to honor the real true lunacy of the character. I didn't want to make him campy, but I wanted to pay a little bit of tribute to the past Jokers - and yet keep it original at the same time. That's walking a fine line, if there ever was one. It was a little intimidating because it is such an iconic role. It's an honor to get this job -- and especially to play the Joker in this version because it's so dark and twisted. I felt like I got a really wonderful opportunity.
Can you remember your early connections with the Batman mythology, and how any of the previous Joker actors might have influenced your performance in this role?
John Di Maggio: I think the thing that influenced me the most when I was young is the television show, which is really sad because there have been so many great comics and graphic novels and stories about the Dark Knight that I haven't been able to delve into yet - and yet I know about them. I actually would've loved to see Cesar Romero take the role to its darkness. There was a bit of Cesar Romero in what I did, but it's Cesar Romero if he was in A Clockwork Orange. I guess my naiveté in my approach kind of kept it clean. I wasn't trying to do a Jack Nicholson or a Heath Ledger. I respect all the folks that have come before me, and their take on the character. Mark Hamill is awesome, Heath Ledger was unbelievable, and Jack Nicholson - what can you say? But I wanted to do my own thing.
Was there any particular direction you wanted to take this Joker?
John Di Maggio: I wanted to cover what I saw on the paper, and I wanted to ensure the casting/dialogue director got exactly what she wanted. Usually if the script is good enough, you know where your emotions should be, where your character lies. It should all be in the dialogue, and it certainly was.
How do you interpret the Joker's mindset?
John Di Maggio: I think the Joker thinks of himself, quite literally, as a necessary evil. And when I say that, I mean he really feels there is a place for him, and that he somehow balances the chaos with the non-chaos. It's a yin and yang thing. And it's really not personal, it's business. Although he can get personal and he enjoys it. That makes it that much more twisted.
You've certainly done more than your share of villains. Do you prefer to go to the dark side?
John Di Maggio: I love playing the villains. I'll play anything, I don't care. As long as its not tons of walla or gasping, I'm good. I hate the inhale.
When you were a kid, did you ever imagine you'd be voicing cartoons for a living?
John Di Maggio: I was a class clown - I basically started acting when I was a kid. I wanted to play drums, but I couldn't afford a drum set. It was easier to be in a play, so it just kind of happened. I walked into voiceover in New York in 1994. I was doing stand-up (comedy) at the time, and was looking to get out of it and into acting. An actor buddy of mine, Zak Orth, said it was a way to make a good living between acting gigs. I moved to LA, because there's more animation here, and the rest is history. So yeah, thanks Zak Orth - give me a ring.
Your primary focus is voiceovers these days. Do you have any inclination to do more live-action acting or stand-up comedy?
John Di Maggio: On-camera acting is fun, but I don't miss it. Voiceovers are quicker, and you get to work with such amazing, talented people - it's a blast to play in the studio with these actors and writers and directors. With (on-camera) acting, there so much more waiting around, and my patience has run thin. Plus it beats the hell out of slinging jokes six nights a week at a Chuckle Hut in East Bumbleblard.
Batman: Under the Red Hood arrives on July 27, 2010 as a Special Edition [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] Blu-ray and Special Edition [2 Discs] DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.
Comments (14)
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Err
john dimaggio is awesome, but im not really interested in batman cartoons anymore.
3 years agoby @err2005Flag
Remy72883
and oddly enough Amanda Waller called the project to make another batman " Batman Beyond" which for me was f*cking nuts when i heard her say it, and how the joker turned tim drake into a smaller version of himself was brilliant
3 years agoby @remy72883Flag
Remy72883
Yeah @CBF they did an awesome episode in the justice leauge unlimited series it was to be the final episode it was called " Epilogue" but got rescheduled for a crisis that was going on at the time, but during the episode you find out Bruce Wayne has a son and its oddly the new batman and that Amanda Waller use some Cadmus tech to engineer the hole thing, you get some really good story in this one episode and it was great to see how it went down, then their was another episode earlier in the justice leauge unlimited series titled " the Call" were the new batman joined the justice leauge to help defeat superman when he was being controlled by an alien, " kinda ironic" then their was another one that i really enjoyed Called" the once and future thing" were Kevin Conroy loaned his voice as the original batman well still being young and your sitting their watching him with the new batman Terry when their jump forward into time, i remember being so blown away that i got to see both these batman character's one the batman i grew up on from the animated series, then the new one which i have to say i really enjoyed, plus i loved how Kevin Conroy loaned his voice for the whole batman beyond series and during the hole series you find out alot more on characters we grew up on, like how the joker died, seeing Harley Quinn as a old women, that is one of the reasons why i enjoyed the series so much, it not only dealt with new villains but kept going back and showing what happens to his Bruce's old villain's, I mean if you didn't watch the series then Watch Batman Beyond- Return of the joker, you would kinda be lost for a sec, it was a good series and i hope you reconsider watching them, to buy them on DVD is only 15$$$ per season if you want i can at least give you a link to watch the Epilogue episode which i think you would really enjoy
3 years agoby @remy72883Flag
Avian
I was hopping for Mark Hamill. But I love Bender and Dr. Drakken was the best part of Kim Possible, so it sounds good.
3 years agoby @avian005Flag
Emmytt
this will be epic
3 years agoby @emmyttFlag
CBF
@Remy72883
Yeah that was one thing I forgot to mention, that Mask of the Phantasm shows some of the "Year One" stuff in the flashback scenes. But see I didn't know that Phantasm comes back in Batman Beyond, mainly because I never watched that series. With the DCAU, I stuck with Batman TAS, Superman TAS, and JL/JLU. Basically just those 4. I also feel the same way, JL: Crisis on Two Earths was not for me, it was the only DCU movie I didn't enjoy. I have never liked those parallel worlds Crisis stories from the DC comics, and since it was based on "JLA: Earth 2," its probably why I didn't like it. But yes, S/B: Public Enemies sold so well they are making a sequel this year.
3 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag
Remy72883
i have to agree with you @CBF Superman/Batman: Public Enemies what right on point and then some, the characters especially batman were perfect i really didn't like justice League: Crisis on Two Earths i was so disappointed with it, the Justice League Unlimited episode did a better job with their storyline and action than the film did, And when it comes to Batman: Mask of the Phantasm it was a great film because it had a darker tone and me begin a fan from the beginning Ive been really waiting to see something along those lines and i finally got what i wanted, the film not only has a great back story showing how the idea of the batman costume come to be along with the first time having it all together to the early days and showing him doing what he does best" fight crime" without the suite, being young and wanting to step down because of love and ultimately making he right choice, it was a great film and i love how they incorporated the phantasm character in the batman beyond series,
3 years agoby @remy72883Flag
CBF
@ejk1
Well "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" was the first of the 3 "Batman: The Animated Series" animated movies. While I'm not sure where Mask of the Phantasm officially takes place in the series, I like to put it somewhere after the Volume 1 DVD set, either before or during Volume 2, when Dick Grayson/Robin is away at college. The other two feature films are clear where they take place - "Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero" is a direct follow-up to the episode "Deep Freeze" and comes directly after Volume 3, while "Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman" comes last, after the series is over, following up Volume 4.
Phantasm was the darkest of the 3 films, and in my opinion was the best of the films and as a representation of the series and what it stood as. I think the entire Batman TAS cartoon and its' 3 feature films are in a league of their own, and can't really be compared fairly to anything else, including the later cartoon series (Batman Beyond, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Batman, etc.).
However...
This new project, DC Universe Animated Original Movies, is a testament to the source material over at DC Comics, and was created solely as an avenue to make darker and more adult-oriented adaptations of some of DC's classic comic storylines that were not aimed at the kid demographic, but rather the same audience that still buys their graphic novels - the young adults and adults. They grabbed Bruce Timm because obviously he is a catch with the amazing work he did on Batman TAS and some of the other DCAU cartoons. I think if it weren't for this, he would be writing for DC these days.
But back to my point - I think the DCU-AOM's are a step up from the old DCAU cartoons we once loved, and in a sense this Direct-to-DVD series carries the torch. Of course they are in no way directly related to the DCAU continuity-wise, but I think even Bruce Timm knows, that those of us who watched the classic DCAU cartoons as kids and sadly saw it end with "Justice League: Unlimited," are now adults and there has been nothing to fill that animated comic book void for a long while. So this series explores that, while taking it one step further - making them for those of us former DCAU-viewers who are now adults - by amping the ratings up to PG-13 and giving us great stories and blood-splattering battles and underlying adult themes, something they could never do in cartoon shows for kids.
It took me a while to think about an answer for your question, ejk1, but overall, I look at Batman TAS and its feature films (and the DCAU for that matter) as classic, part of my childhood, something that is hard to match. But on the other side of that coin, I feel that nothing could be as worthy a successor as these new DCU DVD's. Especially with Bruce Timm on the team and some DC heavyweights like Gregory Noveck among others. They stick very, very close to the comics and don't really fail to disappoint unlike some of the rival Marvel Animated Feature DVDs. If you want to know my take on the new DCU movies that feature Batman as opposed to Mask of the Phantasm, you can check out my Official DVD Reviews of the DCU Animated Original Movies here: movieweb/u/comicbookfan/ULAf6IBDeNewDI . But I will leave you with this: "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" was dead-on with the portrayal of Batman, they nailed the modern character from the comics, and the best part? Kevin Conroy once again voiced him.
3 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag
ejk1
CBF, I have a question for you. How do these new movies stack up against Mask of the Phantasm? Some people believe this to be the best Batman movie, including TDK. I really liked it, but unfortunately I have only been able to see once, and therefore cannot remember enough to make a judgment call on it.
3 years agoby @ejk1Flag
CBF
That's like me with Loren Lester as Dick Grayson/the first Robin/Nightwing. But I am keeping an open mind and I think Neil Patrick Harris will pull it off.
Kevin Conroy will always be the best Batman and Mark Hamill the best Joker, but we still must keep an open mind to new voices as well. After all, these DCU animated movies are not Batman: The Animated Series or have any canon with the DCAU, so in this new day and age, we gotta give new guys a shot. Conroy came back for Batman: Gotham Knight and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and probably will again for the Superman/Batman sequel. Every animated Batman can't be Conroy. I liked the Batman voice in Justice League: The New Frontier but not in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. So once we hear them, it just all boils down to preference even if we still all do prefer Kevin Conroy over all others. But its not to say the others are bad.
With that said, I am going to give Greenwood the benefit of the doubt till I see it, but judging from the trailer, I already think I know he's not gonna portray Bats right. Also in the trailer, Joker didn't talk but you can hear his maniacal laugh and DiMaggio pulled that off. So we'll see when it comes out.
3 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag
Remy72883
i know what you mean @ejk1 without Hammil and Conroy in this film its gonna kinda bum me out, but i will give it a shot and with Jensen Ackles in it i have too, and those 2 guys are who i symbolize as batman and the joker
3 years agoby @remy72883Flag
ejk1
I agree with Remy. It's going to be hard watching an animated Batman not involving Conroy and Hamill. I know there have been other projects since The Animated Series, but the voices of those two men represent Batman and the Joker to me more than anything, including Bale and Ledger in TDK. However, I will still see this, and keep an open mind.
3 years agoby @ejk1Flag
Remy72883
cant wait to see this Jensen Ackles lending his voice sucks mark hammil wont be involved and especially The man himself Kevin Conroy
3 years agoby @remy72883Flag
CBF
Cool, already got my Two-Disc Special Edition pre-ordered at FYE. Yeah it looks like this film will feature a very dark Joker. Plus it references the "A Death in the Family" story at the beginning of the movie - when Joker is at his most sadistic in the comics. I can't wait to see how they do the crowbar scene. As far as the voice acting goes, the only one I think may not be fit right is Bruce Greenwood as Batman. I think he may not have the right kind of dark and broody voice to be Bats, but we'll see. Definitely looking forward to Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing. This will be a great movie.
3 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag