'Suicide Squad' Star Jared Leto Compares Playing the Joker to Tackling Hamlet
Jared Leto as the Joker (Warner Bros.)
Batman v Superman may have set the stage for a upcoming Justice League film, but DC Comics and Warner Bros. aren’t done establishing their cinematic superhero universe just yet. This August’s Suicide Squad will (re)introduce a whole new gang of villains, none more famous than the Joker, who’ll be embodied as a green-haired, heavily tattooed psychopath by Jared Leto. In a new interview, the Oscar-winning actor provides further insights into how he approached transforming himself into the Clown Prince of Crime.
Related: ‘Suicide Squad’ Mega Photo Gallery, Including All Four ‘Empire’ Covers
Leto tells EW that he’s “grateful” to have been given the opportunity to take on such an iconic role, especially given the work done by prior movie Jokers Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. And he says that what’s exciting about assuming the Joker’s mantle is that it provides an opportunity for reinvention:
“You had to make it your own. That happens all the time. Whether you’re a composer working on a piece of music that was written a century ago, or you’re an actor on stage, reinterpreting a play, it’s very common these days. Directors take on great works of cinema, actors reinterpret roles, that’s been going on for a great deal of time. From Scarface to Hamlet.”
As we’ve previously noted, one of the ways Leto tackled the part was by never breaking character, even when the cameras stopped rolling. As costar Will Smith (who plays assassin Deadshot) remarked last fall, “I’ve never actually met Jared Leto… We worked together for six months, and we’ve never exchanged a word outside of ‘action’ and 'cut.’ We’ve never said 'hello,’ we’ve never said 'good day.’ I’ve only ever spoken to him as Deadshot and him as the Joker.”
Then, of course, there was the strange gifts Leto offered his costars, including that pet rat — named Rat Rat — that he got Margot Robbie, who plays the Joker’s girlfriend Harley Quinn.
Certainly, director David Ayers is convinced there’s a method to Leto’s madness, recently telling USA Today that “people kept their distance” from the actor on set. (Perhaps that’s why the production reportedly needed an on-set therapist?)
Said Ayer: “I love helping actors find what methodology works best for them. It’s like tailoring a suit — it’s not one size fits all. But it really made an event when he would show up on set. There was almost a pageantry to him, which did translate into the power on screen he has.“
Whether Leto’s Joker drives audiences as batty as he did his costars will only be answered on August 5 when Suicide Squad hits theaters. Until then, you can read his entire interview over at EW.
Watch the ‘Suicide Squad’ trailer:
