Actor Anthony Misiano Explores his Relationship with the Joker

Over the past few years, Actor and filmmaker Anthony Misiano has played everyone from Nikola Tesla to John Wilkes Booth. In a recent post on TikTok, Misiano shares photos of his Joker Cosplay from 2011 and suggests that he could be a good candidate to play Gotham's clown prince of crime in future Batman and Batman-adjacent films. The video has gained quite a bit of traction. It currently has over 200,000 likes and has been shared over 3,000 times.

CBR recently spoke with Misiano about the origins of his viral cosplay photos and his career as a performer. He also discussed his reasons for posting about the Joker on TikTok and some of his goals as an actor, before discussing many of his favorite iterations of the Joker.

How did your Joker cosplay come to fruition?

Back in 2011, I was an actor in Southern California and with Halloween around the corner, I wanted to do something special. I knew that I looked a bit like the Joker from the comics, so I decided to spend a few months putting together a costume of my own design, inspired primarily by the artwork of Marshall Rogers in Laughing Fish, Brian Bolland in The Killing Joke and Carlos D'Anda's concept art for the Batman: Arkham Asylum game. Halloween went well, but I thought I should give it another go after fine-tuning the costume a bit more, so I wore it to San Diego Comic-Con in July 2012. The reaction was unanticipated, to say the least.

Can fans look forward to you recreating any other Batman covers in the future?

I don't think so. It's been so many years since I've done it, I think I'm past that point in my life. I created the pieces I wanted to create and am very satisfied with those. I always saw the Joker cosplay as an art project using myself as a canvas or figurine in a larger piece I was creating.

Have your cosplay experiences informed your work as an actor?

No, they're totally separate worlds. Cosplay for me was about creating images, tableaus, etc. Acting and storytelling is my life's passion, it's what I've always done, it's how I pay my bills and feed my family. For me acting is about helping bring a script to life, and telling a story through characters, emotions and behavior. I'm there to serve the text and the director's vision. I plan to do it until the day I die.

Which live-action portrayals of the Joker did you look to for inspiration?

When designing the Joker costume back in 2011 I really did pull primarily from comic art as mentioned before, with a lot of my own ideas and opinions thrown in. However, I did nab the purple leather gloves from Nolan and Ledger's Joker.

What kind of response have you had to your recent viral video?

It's been extremely positive. I just hope people understand a couple of key things. First, there is no chance in hell a live-action, the big-budget film would ever depict the character with the same bright and poppy color palette and makeup/costume style that is seen in my old cosplay photos, and I would never want it to nor am I suggesting that - that's just silly. Second, I'm also not suggesting I be blindly cast in a role I may not be qualified to play. What I am suggesting is that producers and casting directors be open to the idea of auditioning a professional working actor who just happens to be an "unknown".

In the same way that Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hiddleston and Christopher Reeve (all "unknown" working actors) each stepped into their respective iconic roles in their time. It also lends itself to audiences better immersing themselves into believing the character on the screen IS the character. But hey, a fun bonus in my case, I just so happen to look a lot like the Joker. That's the whole point of the video.

Do you plan on publishing more of your acting and film-making work on social media?

Totally. Not TikTok, I don't think that's the right platform for that, but my Instagram is full of clips from different tv shows and films, the occasional commercial clip might make its way in there. It's stuffed full of content featuring my dumb ass, lol. As well as dozens of comedy sketches I made during the Covid lockdown - wasn't much else to do at the time.

Are there any particular versions of the Joker you'd especially like to portray?

Whichever version is in the script I'm handed. If you approach any role with preconceived notions or plans on how to play it you're doomed to fail. In the same way that Heath Ledger worked with Christopher Nolan and his brilliant screenplay to craft a version of the character that was uniquely tailored to that story, I would hope to do the same, as I try to do with every role and character.

What other Comic characters would you love to play?

Anything with a strong and unique writer behind it. Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore and Grant Morrison, who wouldn't love to breathe life into those characters and help tell those stories? There's nothing better than a good script.