A few days back, Jared Leto shared in a brief interview with Good Morning America that he is hopeful about returning as The Joker after Suicide Squad. Now, in a more recent interview with the Toronto Sun, he makes it clear that he wants to portray the character "a couple more times" before retiring from it!
Playing the role is "so fulfilling…so creative…and so imaginative" that it's difficult for him to think about "doing anything else"!
According to the Academy Award winning actor, The Joker has been "the perfect villain" for Batman right from the beginning, and the supervillain wouldn't also have earned this much recognition without the superhero. He thinks they are "two sides to a coin".
And Leto wants to see his version of the Clown Prince of Crime come face to face with Ben Affleck's version of the Caped Crusader. He says:
I think it would be incredible to see Batman and the Joker go head-to-head! This Batman and this Joker. I mean, I don't know, that might be too much! But that would be fun.
During the interview, Leto is asked when we will see him again in the DC Extended Universe and whether it's in Justice League. In response, the actor says that we may find him dressed as The Joker accepting "donations for photos" at a theme park or on Hollywood Boulevard! He plans on returning, whether the studio or the producers like it or not! Then he adds:
I don't know yet, but I think it is all up to audiences. If audiences respond to The Joker and they want more, I'm pretty sure that they're going to get what they want!
When asked if The Joker will feature in a sequel to David Ayer's August 5 release, the 44-year-old actor repeats that the character's return depends on whether "people like it enough". But since the character isn't an official member of Task Force X, he may not be asked to return in a sequel.
Leto also shares that he did a lot of research on The Joker after sealing the deal with Warner Bros. But there was a certain point when he realized that he needed to stop and just allow his "imagination to run wild". The actor explains:
That's what's great about The Joker: He's living in a fantasy world and it's a character with no rules. There is no wrong answer for The Joker. There was nothing I can do in a take that would be inappropriate. He can do anything. The Earth, the moon, the sun all revolve around him. His “truth” is the ultimate reality.
During the interview, Leto calls Heath Ledger's incarnation of The Joker "one of the best performances ever", with "not a flaw…not a missed note…not a moment…" when we are not with him and the character.
He also praises Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the character in Tim Burton's Batman movie and Mark Hamill's voice-acting in the animated movies and television shows. He claims that they are "all so different" and "all their own thing".
Apart from the interview, we've also got a new Suicide Squad photo shared by Leto via his official social media accounts. It features his character, along with Margot Robbie's Dr. Harleen Quinzel (before she cracked up and became Harley Quinn!). They seem to be violating the patient-doctor relationship here! IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BAD!
