Perhaps two of the most highly-anticipated characters in the anti-hero flick "Suicide Squad" are Jared Leto's portrayal of Joker and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. And judging by the trailers released Leto and Robbie both went to extreme measures to channel the inner crazies that their roles require.
Jared Leto's Commitment To Joker Role
Even "Suicide Squad" director David Ayer got the creeps when Leto showed up on the movie's set fully committed to the Joker role. According to the filmmaker, Leto's acting process involved unconventional methods and "flinging himself to the abyss," Entertainment Weekly reported. Ayer said the actor was "scary," "intimidating," and "creepy" on set, qualities that all fit the Joker persona.
Leto, 44, said he talked to psychiatrists and the most mentally damaged patients to tap into the mindsets of sociopaths. When it came time to play the Joker, however, Leto relied on his own instincts like how the villain would do. The result was an unpredictable Joker who confidently brushes off rules.
Ayer said the "Suicide Squad" ensemble tried to bond during the 94-day filming -- all except Leto. The director said Leto remained in his Joker persona even if the cameras weren't rolling, which means he was often by his lonesome self and entered full acting "method," News.com.au reported.
Leto's full-on commitment to his role was "awkward, weird, and creepy" for Robbie, especially because she hadn't worked with another actor who also did the same thing. However, the actress also stressed that Leto nailed that blend of "terrifying and nuts" that the Joker role requires.
Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn Shines
That's not to say that Leto's portrayal of Joker deserves the entire spotlight in "Suicide Squad." Robbie, who hails from Australia, was also praised by Ayer and her co-stars for how she acted the bubbly and psychotic Harley Quinn, who's also Joker's lover. In fact, Robbie's impact in the film has been so great that rumors of a standalone Harley Quinn movie is now circulating the internet.
Ayer gushed that "a star is born" in Robbie, adding that "The Legend of Tarzan" actress is both "riveting and magnetic" as Harley Quinn, News.com.au further reported. Jai Courtney, who plays Captain Boomerang in "Suicide Squad" and Robbie's fellow Aussie, said the actress was crazy in the role and totally owned it.
Robbie, 26, described Harley as a lover of "mayhem and destruction," Science Fiction reported. She added that Harley has a "dysfunctional relationship" with the Joker, but she is in love and "devoted" to him.
"Suicide Squad" also stars Will Smith (Deadshot), Jay Hernandez (Diablo), Cara Delevingne (Enchantress), Karen Fukuhara (Katana), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc), and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller). The film bows in U.S. theaters on August 5.
