Quote of the Day (John Lithgow, on His Disastrous 'Batman' Audition)

“My worst audition was for [director] Tim Burton for Batman. I have never told anyone this story, but I tried to persuade him I was not right for the part [The Joker], and I succeeded. I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. About a week later I heard they were going after Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson…. How about that for stupid? Actors are not necessarily smart people.”—Tony-winning actor John Lithgow, quoted in Katie Van Syckle, “John Lithgow Still Regrets Passing on Playing the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman,” New York Magazine, June 13, 2017

In the new blockbuster version of the adventures of the Caped Crusader/Dark Knight, Barry Keoghan plays the vexing villain, The Joker. It would have been fascinating 33 years ago, though, to see how Lithgow would have put his stamp on a role that, in addition to Keoghan and Nicholson, has also been played by Cesar Romero, Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix.

(The accompanying image of John Lithgow was taken by David Shankbone on March 27, 2007.)

Quote of the Day (Christine Baranski, on Her Frustrating Early Auditions)

“After I graduated [from Juilliard], I found myself rather like, ‘Why am I going up for these skinny, gangly, awkward funny girls?’ And then I’m like, ‘Well, it’s because you’re kind of a skinny, funny girl.’ ”—Tony- and Emmy-winning actress Christine Baranski on her early auditions, quoted in Rebecca Milzoff, “The New Adventures of Christine Baranski,” New York Magazine, Sept. 17, 2012

(The image accompanying this post is a cropped photo of Ms. Baranski, at a 2010 Metropolitan Opera performance of Das Rheingold, by David Shankbone.)

Quote of the Day (Piper Perabo, on an Unsuccessful Audition)

“I once had a director say to me in an audition, 'I think this character is a virgin.' After I did the scene, I said, ‘I don’t think I can play a virgin.’ He said, ‘I don’t think you can either.’”—Actress Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) quoted in “Party Lines,” New York Magazine, Apr. 17-30, 2017

(Photo of Piper Perabo at the 2011 Comic-Con in San Diego, taken July 21, 2011, by Rach.)

TV Quote of the Day (‘Friends,” on Joey in a ‘Tale of 2 Cities’ Musical)

Joey Tribbiani (played by Matt LeBlanc): “Guess who's in an audition for a Broadway musical?”

Chandler Bing (played by Matthew Perry): “I want to say you but, that seems like such an easy answer.”

Joey: “It is me! It's a musical version of Tale of Two Cities. So I think I'm gonna sing ‘New York, New York,’ and ah, oh ‘I left My Heart in San Francisco.’”

Ross Geller (played by David Schwimmer): “Ah Joey, I don't think you get to pick the cities.”

Joey: “What?”

Ross: “Mr. Dickens gets to pick 'em.”

Joey: “Who?”

Chandler: “I'll get you the Cliff Notes.”

Joey: “The what?”

Chandler: “The abridgment.”

Joey: “Oh, okay. The what?” —Friends, Season 3, Episode 12, “The One With All the Jealousy,” original air date Jan 16, 1997, teleplay by Doty Abrams, directed by Robby Benson

TV Quote of the Day (‘Friends,’ In Which Joey Bombs at His Audition)

“Legendary” actor-director Leonard Hayes (played by Jeff Goldblum), explaining why Joey’s audition bombed: “You're in your head. You-you're thinking way too much.”

Joey Tribbiani (played by Matt LeBlanc): “I really doubt that.”

Leonard: “No, no, no. It's that you're not connected with anything in your body. There's no urgency. The scene is a struggle, it's a race. Also, what you did was horizontal. Don't be afraid to explore the vertical. And don't learn the words. Let the words learn you.”

Joey: “Couldn't I just sleep with the producer?”—Friends, Season 9, Episode 15, “The One with the Mugging,” teleplay by Peter Tibbals, directed by Gary Halvorson, air date Feb. 13, 2013