‘Suicide Squad’ Actress Says That ‘Joker’ Jared Leto Rubbed His Crotch At Her During Filming
A day player attached to the summer film Suicide Squad has alleged that Jared Leto’s notorious “method acting” repeatedly crossed the line of sexual boundaries.
Actress Ariane Bellamar, whose role as a stripper in the DC Comics film was ultimately cut, recently shared with Radar Online that the Academy Award-winning Leto would often rub his crotch outside of his pants and growl at her before the director called “action” on their scenes.
Love fan art! Best of the week! ? xo #SuicideSquad #torontobarbie #dccomics #warnerbros #oscars #2016 #redcarpet pic.twitter.com/TSLsCSosWZ
— Ariane Bellamar (@ArianeBellamar) August 12, 2016
“He wasn’t [trying] to hide it or anything,” Bellamar stated. “He did it every time he walked past me.”
The two were said to have interacted during a moment set in a strip club, where the Joker, played by Leto, chooses Bellamar’s character to be his “muse.” Although she claimed to have laughed off the inappropriate act several times, she admits that after a while, things got weird.
“I’m not a prude. I’m easy-going,” she insists, “but, it was creepy. It took me completely off guard.”
Bellamar also says that she wasn’t the only person that Leto made uncomfortable on the Suicide Squad set. Throughout filming, the Thirty Seconds To Mars front man also belittled several extras, while expressing that they should feel “lucky” just to be in his presence. She went on to add that while she was well aware of his choice to stay in character both on-and-off camera, there was still a line not to cross, and Leto overstepped it plenty of times.
“I have a great deal of respect for method acting,” she acknowledged, “but you can’t hide behind your craft. You have to be respectful of your fellow cast and crew.”
Interestingly, despite her claims against Jared, Bellamar would go on to gush about the experience, while commiserating with Leto about the deleted Suicide Squad footage on her Facebook page on August 8.
“As disappointed as I am that my scene with ?The Joker was not included in the final theatrical release, my heart truly goes out to Jared Leto, [whose] devotion to his character was so obvious on set, it literally freaked me out! It must be devastating to watch your hard work & dedication whittled down to [just] 15 minutes of screen time. With that being said, working opposite of Mr. Leto was an opportunity of a lifetime and I’m appreciative to have had the chance to learn from such an inspirational talent.”
Representatives for Leto reached out to Radar Online and said that there was “absolutely no truth” to her allegations, but several other Suicide Squad cast members have spoken at length regarding their own disturbing interactions.
“He had a henchman who would come into the rehearsal room,” she expressed, “and the henchman came in with a dead pig and plopped it on the table, and then he walked out. And that was our introduction to Jared Leto.”
Actress Margot Robbie, who brings the equally-insane Harley Quinn to life in the film, relayed to Jimmy Fallon during an interview to promote Suicide Squad that Jared “gifted” her with a live rat.
“At first I thought this was disgusting,” she said, “but then after that, I was like, I’m not going to kill him. I ended up keeping him as a pet.”
And finally, Jared Leto himself would more or less confirm all speculation of his “method acting” ways during his own sit-down on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. During the conversation, he presented the former Saturday Night Live player with a live snake that he said was a present from The Joker.
Ironically, for all of his commitment to the maniacal character, Leto is said to be actually seen for a mere fraction of the 123-minute Suicide Squad run-time.
[Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Stringer/Getty Images]
