In a recent interview with GQ, Suicide Squad star Jared Leto answered a few interesting questions some of us may have been curious about. Mark Anthony Green conducted a very long, personal, and exceptional interview with Jared. Over the last year or so we have consumed a ton of strange rumors about Jared’s methods not only about his acting, but his actions as a co-star and giver of gifts.
The subject of gifts came up and Leto’s unorthodox choices in such gifts to his fellow cast mates. Specifically a rat he gave to Margot Robbie.
“Well, in New York, you’re never farther than three feet from a rat. There are rats everywhere, man. You want a rat, I can get you a rat. There are harder things to get!”
HA! Those are some true words right there. Could Leto have taken upon himself to go on the hunt for a diseased rat someplace near his residence? Or did he buy one at a market like a sane person? We may not want to know the answer to that one.
When asked about if he had any hesitation taking on the role of The Joker given the success Heath Ledger had with it.
“I don’t remember much hesitation. I’m sure that I considered everything when I got the call. But let me say a few things. Number one, Heath Ledger: Not only was he perfect as the Joker—perfect. There’s not a single frame where he’s not great. Not only was he perfect in that role, but it’s probably one of the best performances, not just of a villain but maybe one of the best performances on film, period. Period. That’s my opinion. And that was my opinion before I got the call. It was a perfect performance, and those are very rare.”
He continues to praise Jack Nicholson, Cesar Romero and of course Mark Hamill. Jared was then asked about his thoughts on how the transformation of Ledger’s Joker may have contributed to his death.
“I think that you have to dive in. I think it’s that sort of thing. It’s a challenging piece of work. But we had a lot of fun with it, too. I mean, the Joker is not that bad a guy, as I would always say. [Here, Leto fully turns into the Joker for a second.] I’m really not that baaad a guy. I would always say that. The Joker is great because he’s always making himself laugh, so I can just make a joke where people are like, What? And I’m laughing on the inside. He finds things funny that other people will never. Like death. And one of the things I really loved about the Joker is that he’s an entertainer. He loves to push buttons. He loves to create energy. Any kind of energy. When I was on set, I think everybody in the crew was really happy to see the Joker again when he came back out. Because he’s a lot of fun to be around and to watch. You never know what he’s going to do next. He’s so spontaneous, and has no rules, that it was nice to entertain the troops, so to speak.”
The question of a possible sequel to Suicide Squad came up and The Joker’s involvement.
“I don’t know. I think it depends. I think there’s a lot more for the Joker to say. This is the new Joker era. I think this story is just the beginning. Suicide Squad is really just a reintroduction. I hope it’s the first of more to come. ‘Cause it was the role of a lifetime.”
It looks as though there is an excellent chance this won’t be the last appearance of The Joker in the DCEU.
Source: GQ
