The Man Behind the Makeup: Anthony Misiano (aka Harley's Joker)

You may know him as "That awesome Joker guy!!11!" but with a little more research you'll find out that this "Joker guy" is more than  a first rate cosplayer. Well, for starters, he's a man. With hopes, dreams, aspirations, and a life of his own (an obvious observation, right?). Tell that to the massive amounts of fangirls. His life was instantly changed by accidentally becoming an underground cultural phenom- and that is exactly what makes this so interesting.
With over 77,000 likes on Facebook, would he call himself famous? Not exactly. Read on for his reaction to his new reputation, upcoming projects, and just how much longer he plans on embodying the green-haired villain.

Lindsay:  We know by now that this unpredictable fame has all stemmed from a simple passion of yours. What impact has this had on your life, and the lives of your friends, family, and loved ones?
Anthony: Nothing at all, really. The only change is that now I have to spend about an hour or two on Facebook every night "tending to the beast". Aside from that, it doesn't exist in my life. People who say I'm "famous" don't understand that it's a very tiny niche sub genre of nerd that I appeal to, haha. Also people don't tend to understand the HUGE difference between being popular on Facebook, and success. They are not one and the same.

L: I suppose being popular on Facebook doesn't pay the bills...so there's been no professional advancements that have stemmed from this?
A: Not a one in any way whatsoever at all.

L:  Hm, I think something has to happen if you keep at it. Clearly 77,000 people see something in you. That must be reassuring in some way. A good number of those people think you're a heart throb, what do you think of that?
A: It's silly. I'm a noodley, goofy, mildly funny looking, furry muscle-less man. People
are sure to wake up from it all sooner or later.

L: You're working on a web series, The Batman Chronicles, how do you get into character as the Joker, aside from the two hour makeup job? 
A: Actually the makeup is closer to three and a half hours. We shot The Batman Chronicles film back in June. It was a fantastic experience. Getting into character is hard to describe, but it's similar for any role I think. In everyday life you're very aware of the world around you, or at least you try to be so that you don't die. When you're acting on camera, you have to almost zone out and erase from your mind the fact that there are cameras and technicians and lights and microphones and everything else, so that you can essentially play pretend very well and exist in the moment of the scene. With the Joker it was no different. The primary difference being the character himself is a bit emotionally unstable and extreme. So it required me to just really let myself go completely and stay worked up a little between takes depending on the context of the scene we were shooting.
  
L: How does your interpretation of the character differ from your predecessors?
A: Every actor brings a tiny slice of themselves to every role, no matter how big or small the role or the slice. I suppose the other reason every actor is different is because we all had different scripts to work with. I just hope that I successfully did my job of making every moment as honest and as true as possible. 

L: I  feel like you will have delivered the performance your fans (yes, fans) are looking for. When in character as the Joker, is there anything you wouldn't do?
A: I don't think there's ANYTHING the Joker wouldn't do if it was a means to him achieving his goals, whatever they may be.

L: Do you see a light at the end of the tunnel? Planning on hanging up the Joker costume any time soon?
A: Absolutely, I'll be hanging up the coat and tails in the near future.

Fresh faced

L: What personal projects are you working on currently? 
A: Right now the only project I'm working on is a web series called "Reel Butter". It's a comedy show I do with Ryan Cerutti on YouTube. We review movies, talk about entertainment news, etc. Aside from that I'm actually trying to avoid getting involved with too many projects
at the moment simply because of how invested I always get in anything I'm working on. Given my plans to move across country in a few months, I need to save every cent I can.

L: Are you going to continue as an actor, or would you like to get into directing? What is the ultimate goal for your future? 
A: I've been acting for fourteen years, and directing for about seven, I don't plan to stop either anytime soon. The ultimate goal I suppose would be making my living doing these things and not having to support myself otherwise.

L: A typical day in your life would consist of...?
A: Waking up earlier than my body wants, going to work, coming home, eating, tending to the beast that is the Joker Facebook page, editing an episode of "Reel Butter", and sleeping. Then I repeat.

Messing around on "Reel Butter" - So educational! Sort of..!

L: On any given day, you can't live without...
A: Oxygen.

L: Ahhhaa, yes I suppose I set myself up for that one. What are the top two songs in your playlist as of right now?
A: "Downfall" by Matchbox 20 and "Starman" by David Bowie.

L: If you could play any character, who would it be and what actor would you consider to be your overall inspiration?
A: Jack. No specific Jack though, there have been hundreds of characters in literature and film over the years named Jack, and most of them great parts. I would gladly take any of them on. As far as inspirational actors go, it's tough to say. For the sake of giving you an answer I'll simply name one of my favorite actors, Dustin Hoffman.

L: Anything you want to say to your supporters?
A: You're all nuts. Keep up the good work, you sweet, silly, creative, talented, eccentric bunches of people with weird taste.

L: Thanks so much your time! Best of luck to you and all your future plans.
A: Thank you!

A few things for you to check out that we've mentioned:
Reel Butter
The Batman Chronicles
Moonflower
Joker Facebook


I'll leave you all with this... seriously, this is in my apartment at home- in my kitchen.
Watching you.
Every. Time. You. Cook.
After like 15 years you barely notice him it.
I promise.

HA. HA. HA SO FUNNY