Jared Leto plays The Joker in DC Comics’ new anti-hero film Suicide Squad. It was an especially tall task for Leto, as he followed in the iconic footsteps of Heath Ledger, who posthumously earned an Academy Award for the same role no less than 10 years prior. As such, Leto remained in character, both on screen and off, throughout the film’s production. At one point, he even sent his fellow cast members “gifts,” such as anal beads, bullets, and used condoms.
In his review, CoS film editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer spoke highly of Leto’s performance, which he described as menacing.” He explained, “Where Heath Ledger’s Joker existed at once as a source of menace and comic relief from that menace, Leto is a purer kind of villain. He’s a snake charmer, to be sure, but a villain.”
Now, in a new interview with NME, Leto discussed the inspiration for his interpretation of the Joker. Surprisingly, he cited David Bowie as an influence. “We discussed [Bowie] a bit — not necessarily the music of David, but his class, his elegance, his timelessness,” he said. Though, according to Leto, there were so many scenes cut, you probably didn’t notice.
“Were there any that didn’t get cut? I’m asking you, were there any that didn’t get cut?” Leto asked IGN. “There were so many scenes that got cut from the movie, I couldn’t even start,” he added. “There was so much that we shot that’s not in the film.”
Nevertheless, Leto is still interested in exploring the role more, telling NME that he would be game for a standalone film. “I think that would be great,” he said, “to dive in deeper to the Joker and expand the story and to learn a bit more about this sick and twisted — but lovely — strange man.”
Below, watch Gerber & Gerber’s review of Suicide Squad:
