Jared Leto makes his debut as The Joker on the big screen in Suicide Squad in less than a week. The last two actors who portrayed the character in a live-action movie, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, didn't get the opportunity to play it for a second time. But that might not happen in Leto's case. At least, that's what the actor believes!
In an interview with Abbie Boudreau on ABC's Good Morning America, Leto describes his version of the iconic Batman nemesis as "sick" and "twisted", but "very lovable". And he doesn't believe that Suicide Squad is the end of his journey as The Joker:
I feel like this film is an introduction to the Joker, and I’m hopeful that we will see more to come.
This is obviously good news for the fans, because we would definitely like to see another epic encounter between the Clown Prince of Crime and the Dark Knight. They do confront each other in Suicide Squad, but from what we've heard, it doesn't sound like much more than just a teaser.
According to the Academy Award winning actor, the fact that the supervillain has been "written about, acted, interpreted, reinterpreted, and reimagined" for three-quarters of a century makes it an "honor" and a "responsibility" to be asked to portray him.
And Leto claims that he "dove pretty deep" in taking on The Joker. The actor adds:
You start to investigate and ask questions, and sometimes you don’t find any answers. You fail a lot. You stumble around in the dark. But you start to put together the pieces and get a sense of who this character is and, I have to say, it was the role of a lifetime. It was the most fun I think I’ve ever had playing a part.
During the interview, Leto also reveals that he did "a lot of experimentation" to perfect The Joker's character-defining laugh. He says that he used to wander the streets of New York and Toronto during filming and laugh out loud all of a sudden to see how people would react.
The particular laugh that he delivers in Suicide Squad is the one that made people turn around and ask "What the hell is that?"
You can check out the interview clip below!
The latest issue of Empire Magazine (via Comic Book Movie) features some shots of The Joker and other Suicide Squad characters. Here are the photos for you!
