Much of the early word-of-mouth campaign around Warner Bros.’ forthcoming Suicide Squad is focused on how “insane” and “unhinged” Jared Leto’s portrayal of the Joker has been. Visitors to the set returned with harrowing tales of Leto strutting around in full character between takes, leading some to wonder whether he’s gone full method or might actually be losing his mind.
Well, it’s official: He’s losing his damn mind.
The Oscar-winning actor recently revealed to E! News that he sent “gifts” of anal beads and used condoms to his Suicide Squad castmates. “I did a lot of things to create a dynamic, to create an element of surprise and spontaneity, and to really break down any kind of walls that may be there,” Leto said. Maintaining all outward appearances of the normal, composed person that he very clearly is not, he explained his rationale. “The Joker is somebody who doesn’t really respect things like personal space or boundaries.”
Leto apparently also has some difficulty distinguishing boundaries — for example, the psychological boundary that separates an actor from the character he portrays on screen. E! anchor Marc Malkin confirmed with Leto’s Suicide Squad co-stars Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje that the actor is, in fact, insane. “Jared went full Joker,” Smith reflected, a troubled look creeping onto his face. “And the rule generally is, never go full Joker.”
As for Robbie, she also seemed a bit shell-shocked by the whole experience. “I can’t even begin to tell you the weird things I got… There were many instances in which I didn’t know what to expect with Jared.” Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who definitely didn’t get paid enough for this bullshit, also confirmed that he was the recipient of “sticky Playboy magazines.”
Watch the cast talk about the harrowing experience of working alongside an actual crazy person in the video below.
