Mark Hamill Is Reading Out Trump’s Tweets In The Joker’s Voice
Mark Hamill has given the Internet a gift with an audio clip of him dubbing President-elect Donald Trump’s tweet in the voice of the iconic DC villain the Joker.
The Trumpster quote #1#ANewJeersToast https://t.co/qZQEGU18r6
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) January 8, 2017
The tweet Hamill is voicing is a tweet that Trump wrote on New Year’s Eve last year which serves as both a New Year greeting and a childish taunt to his opponents.
“Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!”
Mark Hamill’s take on Trump’s tweet is full of the Joker’s trademark cackles and especially embellishes on the last word “love,” drawing out the word in a long, ragged breath that makes the monosyllabic word much darker and sinister than one would ever imagine the sound of the word “love” could be.
The idea behind the actor’s recitations of Donald Trump’s tweets may have originated with writer Matt Oswalt, who suggested on Twitter that there should be an app that plays back Trump’s tweets in Mark Hamill’s voice as the Joker.
BILLION DOLLAR IDEA: an App that you can feed every Trump tweet into that plays it back in @HamillHimself Joker voice. You're welcome.
— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) January 7, 2017
While perhaps most well-known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, Mark Hamill has also made his mark with his vocal portrayal of the Joker, Batman’s arch-nemesis in the DC Universe. According to Rolling Stone, Hamill started providing the voice for the Joker in 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series. He has continued to play the deranged and anarchist criminal mastermind in animation films, video games, and TV series, including the recent Justice League Action.
The unpredictability of the Joker was a quality that has always drawn Hamill to the character. In an AMA on Reddit, a user asked the actor what was his favorite memory playing the Joker. Hamill responded that it was the time when he had to deliver a creepy, a cappella rendition of “Only You,” something he never expected to do as the Joker. He also gave insight into his love for the villainous character.
“That wasn’t something I expected to do as Joker – sing a song. But the Joker is never boring to me because he’s crazy. And if you’re crazy, you are unpredictable and you never do anything the same way. I was surprised how much I loved playing that role.”
Unpredictability and a penchant for drama are traits that Donald Trump seems to share with the Joker, which is perhaps why Hamill’s reading of the President-elect’s tweet is so uncannily fitting. Hamill, however, isn’t the only voice actor to give his take on Trump’s tweets. Earlier this year, voice actor Billy West read the same Trump tweet in the voice of Zapp Brannigan on Futurama, a space general that has been characterized on the show as vain, arrogant, and chauvinistic.
Here you go; let's get a fresh start on the new year!@MAURICELAMARCHE #makeAmericaBrannigan pic.twitter.com/HBkjkThDLW
— Billy West (@TheBillyWest) January 1, 2017
Hamill himself has been vocal in his support for the Democratic party and the fact that he is no fan of Trump’s. In an interview with Polygon, he made his stance clear.
“I mean, you’re either in one camp or another. There’s no middle ground with Trump. I’ve been a lifelong Democrat, and as someone who’s fascinated with the divide in this country right now, I’m just shocked that I was in the minority this time around.”
The audio clip of Hamill reading out Trump’s tweet appears to be the first of many more readings to come, judging by the word “The Trumpster quote #1” in the actor’s tweet. And given the President-elect’s proclivity for expressing himself on social media, there will be no lack of materials for Hamill to have fun with in the near future.
[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
