Suicide Squad will hit theaters in a few weeks, and then the world will finally get a proper introduction to Jared Leto’s Joker—a role that it’s becoming increasingly clear he was born for, whether the movie’s good or not. Of course, Leto’s co-stars already met his Joker while they were filming the movie, and it sounds like it was a generally miserable experience for them, but at least Leto himself enjoyed stepping into the Clown Prince Of Crime’s terrifying purple shoes.
That’s according to an Entertainment Weekly profile on him, which includes a quote from Leto saying that it was “intoxicating” to play someone like the Joker who has “no rules.” He also says the role is like “walking upon hallowed ground,” and that “it deserves the very best that you can do.” To that end, Leto apparently met with psychiatrists “and their most damaged patients” so he could “understand the sociopath mindset.” When it came down putting on the makeup and dying his hair green, though, Leto ignored the experts and “relied on instinct.” That means that what we’ll see on-screen—and what his co-stars dealt with behind-the-scenes—isn’t Leto behaving the way he really thinks someone like the Joker would behave, it’s just all Leto. In a way, that’s even scarier.
Unfortunately, there’s no word on whether or not the “Damaged” forehead tattoo was his idea, though.