David Ayer Talks More About Jared Leto's Joker: "The Hairs Stand Up On The Back Of Your Neck"
As fans patiently wait for tonight's CW special about the DC Cinematic Universe and the new trailer for Suicide Squad, USA Today has a new interview with director David Ayer and naturally, talk turned to Jared Leto's portrayal of The Joker. Along with discussing the fact that Leto went full-on method in the role (which is common knowledge by this point), Ayer talked about the weight of the responsibility Leto has to create a new take on such an iconic character:
"It’s a scary character to tackle. This iteration of him, people will realize there really is a continuity of history — there is a lot of respect for what the Joker represents, who he is as a character. He is the best known villain in fiction so there’s an incredible responsibility there to also be faithful to what he is but at the same time push him into this next world, next time, next phase."
When asked if Leto ever freaked him out while they were filming, Ayer admitted:
"Big time. The hairs stand up on the back of your neck. If you're a Batman fan, you have to love/hate the Joker because he’s the best nemesis ever. Just to have him on one of my film sets, it was a very memorable thing for me."
Zack Snyder, who produced Suicide Squad but wasn't on the set (he was a little busy with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), also chimed in:
"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," Snyder says. "You’re going to get taken on a journey with Jared that I don’t know that everyone’s ready for but I think it will be amazing."
I hope this version of The Joker is remembered more for being a great character than for all of the crazy things Jared Leto did off camera and how dedicated he was to playing the role. Months and years from now, that's not what I want to be talking about when someone brings up Suicide Squad — I'd much rather have a conversation about how diabolical the character was or how well-written he was, and while I'd love for Leto to be great and memorable in the role, I'm starting to fear that this hype machine (to which I'm admittedly contributing by writing this article) may be the most memorable aspect of the film.
Read the entire interview at USA Today right here. Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5th.
Via: The Playlist