--- title: The Room's Tommy Wiseau Makes Terrifying Joker Audition Tape description: Tommy Wiseau is making a bid to be the next joker with a now-viral video of himself unofficially auditioning for the role. canonical: https://time.com/5196289/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition-tape/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-12T19:52:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:51:20.403Z og:title: The Room's Tommy Wiseau Makes a Very Terrifying Joker og:description: Why so serious? og:url: https://time.com/5196289/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition-tape/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cc303b6d24c0fa4/69892a8f86f68e48966e8949/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5184 og:image:height: 2916 og:image:alt: American Airlines At The 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Room's Tommy Wiseau Makes a Very Terrifying Joker twitter:description: Why so serious? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cc303b6d24c0fa4/69892a8f86f68e48966e8949/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _The Room_ Star Tommy Wiseau's Joker Audition Is Actually Terrifying > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=26211c55-0044-4f3c-b005-a3b4f038f4a3&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=26211c55-0044-4f3c-b005-a3b4f038f4a3&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=26211c55-0044-4f3c-b005-a3b4f038f4a3&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=26211c55-0044-4f3c-b005-a3b4f038f4a3&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Mar 12, 2018 7:52 PM UTC  SANTA MONICA, CA - MARCH 03: Actor/filmmaker Tommy Wiseau attends American Airlines at the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards on March 3, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for American Airlines) SANTA MONICA, CA - MARCH 03: Actor/filmmaker Tommy Wiseau attends American Airlines at the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards on March 3, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for American Airlines) Lester Cohen—Getty Images for American Airlines  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Mar 12, 2018 7:52 PM UTC [Tommy Wiseau](http://time.com/5104301/tommy-wiseau-jonas-brothers-comeback/) might be best known for creating, directing and starring in accidental cult classic [_The Room_](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1992396,00.html), but this notorious aspiring multi-hyphenate has his sights set on a new, sinister role: [The Joker](http://time.com/4627755/mark-hamill-joker-donald-/). Although Joaquin Phoenix is [reportedly](http://variety.com/2018/film/news/joaquin-phoenix-the-joker-origin-movie-todd-phillips-1202692188/) playing the infamous villain in an upcoming prequel film, Wiseau made his bid to play the Joker with an official audition tape that he created with _Nerdist_. In the clip, Wiseau recites notable lines from previous Joker film appearances like Jack Nicholson (“Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”) and Heath Ledger (“What doesn’t kill you makes you stranger” and “Why so serious?”) while attired in a full face of Joker-esque makeup and an outfit fit for Batman’s evil nemesis. While Wiseau’s audition may not net him the Joker role, it’s definitely worth a watch. See the full clip below. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5196289/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition-tape/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5196289/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition-tape/"},"headline":"The Room Star Tommy Wiseau's Joker Audition Is Actually Terrifying","datePublished":"2018-03-12T19:52:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:51:20.403Z","description":"Why so serious?","url":"https://time.com/5196289/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition-tape/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cc303b6d24c0fa4/69892a8f86f68e48966e8949/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cc303b6d24c0fa4/69892a8f86f68e48966e8949/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"American Airlines At The 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards","caption":"American Airlines At The 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards","creditText":"Lester Cohen—Getty Images for American Airlines","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5196289/tommy-wiseau-joker-audition-tape/","name":"The Room Star Tommy Wiseau's Joker Audition Is Actually Terrifying"}}]}] ```