Even the 'Suicide Squad' director was 'freaked out' by Jared Leto's twisted Joker performance on set
Warner Bros.
Jared Leto went all-out for his portrayal of The Joker, never breaking character on set and sending Joker-esque gifts to cast members — including a dead rat to Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) and bullets to Will Smith (Deadshot).
His transformative performance led people to keep their distance from him during filming, "Suicide Squad" director David Ayer told USA Today — including Ayer himself.
"Big time. The hairs stand up on the back of your neck," he said when asked if he was "freaked out" by Leto.
"I love helping actors find what methodology works best for them," Ayer continued. "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 character and the power on screen he has."
Though never on the set with Leto, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" director Zack Snyder, who is also a producer on "Suicide Squad," said:
The commitment to the role, you're going to see that really shine through in a way that you're not used to seeing actors in movies really go all the way with [in] every little moment and every little breath. You're going to get taken on a journey with Jared that I don't know that everyone's ready for [it] but I think it will be amazing.
Batman, played by Ben Affleck in "Dawn of Justice," will make an appearance in "Suicide Squad," which will hit theaters on August 5.
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