2016 was introduced to a new Joker that we had never seen before. The Joker in Suicide Squad may not have shared as much screen time as fans expected, but the actor who played the character was not joking (pun intended) when he was preparing for the role. Actor, Jared Leto was the fourth actor to play The Joker for the big screen and he may be the only actor next to Heath Ledger to have gone Method [acting] for his part.
In the new Suicide Squad behind-the-scenes clip, Jared Leto explained what he had to do to get into character, which included pushing some boundaries. The actor explained:
“ This role has always been interpreted so beautifully, but then there’s the other side: What else can you uncover? What other parts of this story or this life, what can you do that hasn’t been done? That side of me that likes exploration, that likes adventure, that likes to push the envelope, that was set on fire immediately. I knew that I was going to have to dive really deep and go to a place that I’ve never gone before.”
Leto’s dedication to the role was widely publicized while the movie was still in its production stages. He gave his cast mates presents that may have been a bit out of the norm like a live rat to Margot Robbie, bullets to Will Smith and a dead pig to Viola Davis. Davis has talked about how Leto forced her to step up her acting prowess:
“ Now I’m terrified as a person thinking ‘Is he crazy?’ but the second part was ‘Oh shit! I got to have my stuff together.’ You talk about commitment and then he sends Margot Robbie a black rat. It was still alive in a box. She screamed, and then she kept it.”
The film, unfortunately, cut many of Leto’s scenes which caused a bit of upset among fans who were anticipating to see The Joker and Jared Leto himself had been public about his dissatisfaction. But with talks of a sequel already in the air and Harley Quinn solo film happening, Leto may finally have the chance to explore more in depth of the role, granted he is a part of the storyline.
