What About Tim Roth?
Author: Paul Coffland
Tuesday, January 17, 2006

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Paul Coffland is my partner in the upcoming website, ON-FILM.NET. PC is not a Bat-fan, but really liked BATMAN BEGINS. CLICK HERE to read PC's review of BEGINS from this past summer.)

Johnny Depp is clearly one of the great actors of our time. His movies are thoroughly enjoyable, and he always brings a fresh portrayal to his characters- the man has range. Movie watchers never see Johnny repeat a signature move like the Tom Cruise sprint, the Al Pacino tirade, or the Michael Madsen squint. But Johnny Depp is not the best choice to play The Joker for the upcoming sequel to BATMAN BEGINS; he is too likable to play a character that must be hated from the moment he hits the screen.

If you remember Johnny from the early days, PLATOON and 21 JUMP STREET for example, his easy-going demeanor and good looks jettisoned him to most favored status among female viewers. His “everyman” approach in WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE made him appealing to the rest of us. Even better was the grace he never failed to display when tackling the quirky roles (EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, ED WOOD). When he played drug dealer George Jung in BLOW, he was a disgusting figure, a disappointment to his family, a lousy parent, and a cocaine kingpin, and yet he was still a sympathetic, likable character -- it is nearly impossible to dislike Johnny Depp.

The actor that eventually becomes The Joker must be instantly detestable (Perhaps Richard Grieco from the JUMP STREET days would be the best choice; he’s absolutely detestable without much effort, and he has the time).

Enter Tim Roth, an actor that would fit perfectly into the role of The Joker.

His ability to make the audience hate him with nothing more than a single line of dialogue, a facial expression, is uncanny. Watch him for five minutes in ROB ROY and it is nearly impossible to keep from throwing something at the screen. His use of accent and voice remains spot-on from start to finish in all his roles. Most importantly, Roth doesn’t carry baggage from portraying similar characters throughout his career. The only hurdle to casting Roth would be his ability to get along with Jett who has been hired to direct the next BATMAN.

Hmm, didn’t I read that somewhere?