Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix has revealed he didn't draw inspiration from past DC villain interpretations of the character for his own version of the iconic role.
Speaking at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday (August 31), the actor explained that he actively chose not to refer to previous portrayals of the criminal mastermind.
"The attraction to make this film and this character was that we were going to approach it in our own way – so, for me, I didn't refer to any past iterations of the character," Phoenix told reporters (via Entertainment Weekly).
What to Read Next
The actor also revealed (via The Hollywood Reporter) that part of the role included learning the Joker's particular laugh, voice and fashion style.
Related: Did you spot the connection in the Joker trailer to this DC movie?
Admitting the villain's signature laugh needed to be "something that's almost painful", he explained: "I think for Joker, it's a part of him that wants to emerge. I think we all kind of assume what a Joker laugh is and it felt like a new, fresh way of looking at it."
"I didn't think that I could do it," he continued. "I kind of practised alone but I asked Todd [Phillips] to come over to audition my laugh. I felt like I had to be able to do it on the spot and in front of somebody else. It was really uncomfortable. It took me a long time."
However, Phoenix emphasised the Joker is a pretty complicated villain so it's not possible to frame his persona in one box.
Related: Joaquin Phoenix lost an outrageous amount of weight to play Joker
"He's so hard to define and you don't really want to define him," he said. "We would get close at times where I found that I would identify certain parts of his personality or his motivation and then I would back away from that because I wanted there to be a mystery to the character.
"Throughout the course of shooting it felt like every day we were discovering new parts of his personality, up until the very last day.
"It was his struggle to find happiness and to feel connected and to feel warmth and love and that's the part of the character I was interested in."
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
The actor added: "He was so many different things to me. Who he was in the first few weeks of shooting was completely different than who he was in the end. He was constantly evolving. I've never had an experience like this.
"The more unpredictable and looser we left it, the more exciting it was."
Joker has a release date of October 4 in the US and UK.
![The Batman [Home Premiere Rental]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1650968831-51MlbAMP9dL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Batman [Home Premiere Rental]")
![Zack Snyder's Justice League [DVD] [2021]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1623254205-41bWAW4CMXS._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Zack Snyder's Justice League [DVD] [2021]")
Funko/DC Comics Batman unmasked Bruce Wayne Funko Pop! figure (Pop in a Box Exclusive)
![Batman: The Animated Series [Blu-ray]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1567076282-41r2PXBURIL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Batman: The Animated Series [Blu-ray]")
DC Comics/Warner Bros Animation Batman: The Animated Series [Blu-ray]
Warner Bros/DC Entertainment Batman 4-film collection (1989-1997)
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Batman: Return to Arkham (PS4)
![Batman - The Movie [1966] [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1567077626-510uVhDklWL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Batman - The Movie [1966] [DVD]")
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.
