Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson and how the role of The Joker almost ruined their friendship.

Jack Nicholson and Robin Williams are cemented as legends in Hollywood, and with a plethora of box office hits and accolades between them, it is easy to understand why. 

But despite a decades-long relationship, there was one movie role that allegedly almost undid their entire friendship.

In the 1980s, Warner Bros. was on a search to find the perfect person to play the Joker in Tim Burton's film Batman. 

Watch a snippet of Jack Nicholson (Robin Williams) Accepting Critics' Choice Award. Post continues after video. 

Except there was a catch... Warner Bro. already knew exactly who they wanted to play the comic book supervillain: Jack Nicholson. 

The actor had just been part of one of the most successful horror films of the decade just eight years prior, in The Shining. 

The production company wanted to combine dark humour with the Crown Prince of Crime's rotten nature and believed Nicholson would be the perfect person to bring it all to life, according to Screen Rant. 

Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Image: Warner Bros.

But Nicholson wasn't so sure he wanted the role when it was first offered to him. 

According to reports, he refused to commit in case a more desirable role came up. 

However, there was another equally iconic actor who could take on the role, Robin Williams. Once Nicholson continued to waffle, the Joker was eventually offered up to Williams, who quickly agreed.

Unfortunately, the people behind the production of Batman had a nefarious plan in place and were steadfast on having Nicholson star.

To get the actor to commit, they used Williams being cast to get Nicholson to decide on taking the role. 

Jack Nicholson in Batman. Image: Warner Bros.

As soon as he agreed, Warner Bros. quickly showed Williams the door. They even sweetened the deal for the actor by promising him a portion of the film's profits and limiting how often he had to be on set. 

Williams felt betrayed. 

"[He] was understandably furious about Warner Bros.' duplicity, and demanded an apology from the studio before he would agree to work with them again," a source told Screen Rant.

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The major claim had a happy ending though, as the scheme didn't threaten the friendship between either Nicholson or Williams in the end and the pair teamed up at the Critics' Awards years later. 

The pair, along with fellow actor Daniel Day-Lewis, were up for an award. In a twist, it was Williams who narrowly missed out on winning as the other two actors tied. 

Nicholson then admitted to being under the influence and asked Williams to join him on stage and give "the funniest acceptance speech I ever gave".

The six-minute speech went down in history as one of the most memorable from the Critics' Choice Awards Show.

So it's safe to say the pair remained friends, despite the awkward situation a few years earlier. 

Feature Image: Getty Images.