By now, you’ve probably heard some of the larger-than-life stories aboutJared Leto’s method acting preparations for playing Joker in 2016’sSuicide Squad. Leto has a track record of taking performance preparation seriously, and as such, he is no stranger to diving headfirst into big transformations or shifting his behavior to help get into character. So, when reports from Leto’sSuicide Squadcastmates emerged ahead of the movie’s release that theactor did things like sending everyonevarious animals, or from Leto himselfthat he sent the cast condoms and anal beads, it seemed like par for the course. Weird, but still par for the course.
At the time, Leto seemed to confirm that he did, in fact, give all those unusual gifts to his castmates. He even toldE! Newsat one point, “I did a lot of things to create a dynamic to create an element of surprise, a spontaneity and to really break down any kind of walls that may be there. The Joker is somebody who doesn’t really respect things like personal space or boundaries.”
After five years, it looks like Leto wants to set the record straight. The star of the Warner Bros. crime thrillerThe Little Thingssat down with GQ magazine to participate in their ongoing series which sees big stars break down their most iconic characters. After talking about his performances inThe Thin Red Line,Fight Club,Requiem for a Dream, andDallas Buyers Club, the time came to discussSuicide Squad. Leto began by giving a surprising but extremely accurate description of what it’s like to tackle the Joker role.
He began by telling GQ that “stepping into the Joker’s shoes is an incredible opportunity,” and went on to say, “I guess it’s this generation’s version of taking on an infamous Shakespearian character. Lots of people have played the part before, lots of people [will] play it in the future, so it’s an opportunity to do something new and to explore challenging territory.”
From there, Leto took the opportunity to dispel some of the rumors about his wild taste in gifts, specifically the live rat he gave Robbie. According to Leto, he gave Robbie something much more normal and tasty: “It’s also interesting how this stuff all takes on a life of its own. I never gave Margot Robbie a dead rat. That’s just not true. I actually gave her a lot of — I found this place in Toronto that had great vegan cinnamon buns and that was a very common thing.”
Leto didn’t refute any other Joker rumors, like giving theSuicide Squadcast condoms, which is very interesting. But, it’s also (arguably) not as interesting as the image of him regularly giving Robbie vegan cinnamon buns during filming. That image will now have to live side-by-side with the sure-to-be-long-lasting image of Leto inZack Snyder’s Justice League. The actor will be reprising hisSuicide Squadcharacter for a brief scene in directorZack Snyder’s new cut ofJustice League. Based on the recentphotos of Leto’sJustice LeagueJoker, this version of the character doesn’t look like the kind of guy who gives out cinnamon buns.
You can watch Leto’s entire career breakdown with GQ below. For more, find out the latestnews for James Gunn’sThe SuicideSquad.
