'Suicide Squad' News, Cast, Spoilers: Jared Leto Describes Playing Joker
DC is going big next year with a superhero tandem, "Batman v Superman" followed by a crime-fighting antihero group, "Suicide Squad." Although it has been the dream of many comic book fans to finally see the two greatest DC superheroes join forces, there is definitely much interest generated by the unusual individuals forming the "Suicide Squad." Every actor chosen to portray a character is very crucial, and one character that has probably received the most attention would be Jared Leto, who portrays the iconic villain the Joker.
After Heath Ledger's posthumous Oscar-winning performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," it's safe to say that Leto has big shoes to fill in. In the past months, news have been circulating from his co-actors themselves about how Leto approached his role. Reports that he had resorted to "method acting," which means he was Joker on and off camera, certainly caused quite a stir among fans but fear among his co-workers.
Leto recently spoke to Empire magazine (via Comic Book Movie) about his experience during the filming. This was the first time he had actually opened up about his portrayal of the Joker after being immersed in the character for so long. He even joked in the beginning when asked about it, "I was just thinking that the Joker would probably just say, '**** you,' and hang up." Fortunately, the actor did share more saying, "There was definitely a period of...detachment," Leto explains. "I took a pretty deep dive. But this was a unique opportunity and I couldn't imagine doing it another way. It was fun, playing those psychological games. But at the same time it was very painful, like giving birth out of my prick hole."
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It might have been more of a challenge for Leto mentally as his portrayal of Joker may be more beat-up than previous ones, but it seems that the actor was not afraid to give new life to the villain. Leto says, "I always get the sense that The Joker may be much older than people think. It's something different. If you don't break rules, you're not going to strike new ground. I think I'll be cooling down for the rest of my life."
Jared Leto is also seen gracing the front cover of this month's Empire magazine while he'll be seen in action when "Suicide Squad" hits theaters on Aug. 5, 2016.
