The Joker is a sociopath of the highest order, and the few actors who have portrayed the character in live-action have naturally tapped into some pretty dark areas in order to understand his personality. The latest incarnation of the Joker will arrive in the upcoming SUICIDE SQUAD with Jared Leto taking on the mantle of the clown prince of crime. Much has already been said of the great lengths Leto went to in order to inhabit the character, but now the actor has finally spoken out and given a few details on what it takes to be the Joker.
Empire's upcoming issue will feature a large spread on the David Ayer film and Jared Leto (via CBM) said that the process of transforming himself into the Joker has definitely left its mark on him.
There was definitely a period of…detachment, 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.
That's certainly an interesting image to consider, but Jared Leto, who listened to a lot of 1920's gospel music and read a lot of books about shamanism while playing the character, seems confident that it will all be worth it as the Joker we'll see in SUICIDE SQUAD will be something very different.
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.
Director David Ayer agrees, saying "there's a power to that character, and by some freaking miracle, through the incredible things Jared has done and the photography and all the other millions of things that went into it, we've cooked up something transcendent. He's scary." Whether you're looking forward to Jared Leto's take on the character or not, I think most of us can agree that the actor has definitely given us a lot to discuss.
SUICIDE SQUAD will be in theaters on August 5, 2016.
Say hello to the bad guy. It's @JaredLeto's Joker; our new Suicide Squad issue cover star. pic.twitter.com/3HuKXLGDRD
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) October 26, 2015
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