Jared Leto recently praised Heath Ledger’s role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, noting it as one of the late actor’s best performances he had seen.
The 44-year-old actor did not hesitate to take on the iconic role for Suicide Squad, although he acknowledged he had big shoes to fill.
He explained to GQ magazine: “I don’t remember much hesitation. I’m sure that I considered everything when I got the call. But let me say a few things…Not only was [Heath Ledger] perfect in that role, but it’s probably one of the best performances, not just of a villain but maybe one of the best performances on film, period. Period.
That’s my opinion. And that was my opinion before I got the call. It was a perfect performance, and those are very rare.”
Leto had also watched and analyzed violent videos to prepare for his role as the intimidating villain. However, he eventually had to stop as it was affecting his personality.
“There was a point where I was researching violence and was watching a lot of things that…things that it’s arguable if anybody should even see. And I noticed that started to have an impact on me that I didn’t like, so I stopped.
It starts to just get inside of you, violence and some of those things. But you know, I’ve made some pretty dark films,” the actor acknowledged.
While others have already portrayed The Joker in the past, Leto felt fortunate as it gave him the freedom to take the character in a new direction.
He shared: “You have 75 years that the Joker has been written about and brought to life by artists.
But in a way, the fact that it has been interpreted so many times I think gave me a great sense of freedom and permission to walk down a different path.”
Suicide Squad has been met with mixed early reviews from critics, though this may still change once the film is released worldwide.