Willem Dafoe ‘fantasises’ about starring as ‘Joker impostor’ opposite Joaquin Phoenix

Actor Willem Dafoe, known primarily for his menacing performances in films such as The Lighthouse and Spider-Man: No Way Home has added yet another villainous character on his wishlist. Speaking to British GQ, the star shared that he would love to put his own unique spin on the character of Joker, opting to play a Joker imposter as opposed to the infamous DC villain himself.

Dafoe explained that such an impostor would face off against the real Joker, ideally played by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix. He shared, “There is something interesting about, like, if there was a Joker imposter,” adding, “So it would be possible to have not duelling Jokers, but someone that claims to be the Joker that isn’t the Joker. And that kind of opens up the possibility of an interesting story, particularly if you had Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, and then you had someone who was either imitating or riffing off what he did.”

The actor shared during the interview that it was the first time he had openly spoken about this. He said, “I fantasised about that. But other than that I am not talking to anybody [about it], you’re the first one.”

The Joker is one of the most iconic villains in pop culture, with actors such as Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger and Cesar Romero having played the Clown Prince of Crime. Ledger and Phoenix both won Academy Awards for their Joker portrayals.

Dafoe most recently reprised his role as the Green Goblin in the smash hit Spider-Man: No Way Home. He previously played the character in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy which starred Tobey Maguire as the infamous web-slinger.