There are only a select few people who see Batman’s nemesis Joker as a hero, and LaKeith Stanfield includes his name on that list. The maniacally funny murderer most recently received his own film in 2019 starring Joaquin Phoenix, and the character was mentioned by Stanfield during his sit-down with Vanity Fair. The acclaimed Judas and the Black Messiah actor recently caught up with the outlet for their Proust Questionnaire series where he answered 35 rapid-fire inquiries about himself. When asked about his favorite hero character, he explained why his answer was the Joker.
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“I like the Joker because the Joker makes you have to look in the mirror and flip everything on its head and like, make you have to laugh at everything that you thought was sacred,” said Stanfield. “It’s kind of like a glorified troll in making people see what they have to see in themselves. ‘Cause ultimately, you have to make your own decision inside yourself in who you want to be and what you want to be, but sometimes you don’t know what that is until somebody shows you. And the Joker’s just like, ‘You thought that this was all so serious? Nah, that sh*t’s funny.”
“I think that’s a great trait to have and you know, in some people’s eyes he’s a villain but to me, it’s like, hero characteristics.” Check out what else Stanfield had to say about valuing honesty and why he believes skin tone is the most overrated virtue.