Entertainment
Joaquin Phoenix Joker Almost Happened Much, Much Earlier
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Long before Folie a Deux made history as one of the worst superhero films in Hollywood history, Joaquin Phoenix impressed us all with the first Joker film. The movie made over a billion dollars at the box office and helped its star take home the Academy Award for Best Actor, making many wonder why Warner Bros. didn’t put this acclaimed actor in the clown makeup earlier. As it turns out, they nearly did: Joaquin Phoenix casually mentioned that he spoke with superstar director Christopher Nolan about potentially playing the Joker in The Dark Knight but wasn’t yet ready to play the famous villain.
Joaquin Phoenix Could’ve Played Joker In The Dark Knight
This shocking revelation came up during the star’s recent appearance on Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin. During the interview, Joaquin Phoenix was candid that he doesn’t remember exactly why he didn’t get the Joker role…he said, ‘“I remember I talked to Chris Nolan about The Dark Knight and that didn’t happen for whatever reason.” While he elaborated a bit more about his involvement with Nolan, Phoenix summed things up with a simple statement: “I wasn’t ready then.”
Over the course of the interview, Joaquin Phoenix was equally candid in examining why he wasn’t ready to play the Joker in the hit 2008 film: “That’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘What is in me that’s not doing this?” he asked. Sounding a bit cryptic, he noted that “it’s not about me” and concluded that “there’s something else” that was holding him back from embracing this iconic villain years earlier.
Praise For Heath Ledger
Eventually, Joaquin Phoenix answered his own question by addressing the elephant in the room: namely, that Heath Ledger ultimately portrayed the Joker in The Dark Knight and gave what would be (quite literally, sadly) the performance of a lifetime. It may just be the benefit of hindsight, but Phoenix mused that the reason he hesitated to portray the villain, saying, “There’s another person who is going to do something.” He then said what you’ve probably been thinking this entire time: “I can’t imagine what it would be if we didn’t have Heath Ledger’s performance in that film.”
Lest anyone think he was suggested that he should have gotten the role instead of Ledger (who posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Actor), Phoenix clarified his memory was fuzzy enough that he was unsure whether Nolan wanted to cast him in the role. “I don’t know whether Christopher Nolan was coming to me saying, ‘You’re definitely the person,” he admitted. Noting his certainty that they at least met to discuss the film and the role, Phoenix pointed out that the director may have had his own reservations: “My feeling was I shouldn’t do this, but maybe he also was like, ‘He’s not the guy.’”
The Right Timing
For as obviously talented as Joaquin Phoenix is (he also took home the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker), we can’t help but be glad that he didn’t play Batman’s nemesis in The Dark Knight. Ledger’s Clown Prince was a success because he was everything Phoenix’s Joker was not: bold, theatrical, and impishly confrontational. Assuming Phoenix had gotten the role and the script was unchanged, we would have gotten the worst of both worlds…a performance that is a pale shadow of both Ledger’s work in The Dark Knight and Phoenix’s later work in Joker.
Plus, given the immense failure of Joker 2 compared to the Oscar-winning, billion-dollar success of the first movie, it might be time for us all to admit something uncomfortable: that first Joker film was a lucky fluke, one whose success speaks to how much younger audiences were ready for a Taxi Driver remake with a star in clown makeup. Joaquin Phoenix is immensely talented and his first Joker performance remains iconic, but the sequel’s failure proves just how little talent matters when the script is this bad. The title was quite accurate, as this was a folie a deux…a folly shared by both Phoenix and Phillips.
Source: Variety
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
