Jared Leto Almost Got Pepper-Sprayed By Viola Davis While Playing Role Of The Joker — ‘Suicide Squad’ Star One Of The Best Method Actors Of All Time
Jared Leto has been going all out as he takes on the iconic role of the Joker in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie. Some of Leto’s pranks have been so shocking that those also cast in the film have been horrified when opening up gifts from the actor. Viola Davis received one of Leto’s gifts, and it upset her so much that Davis admitted she wanted to pepper-spray the method actor.
The New York Daily News reported that Viola Davis must not have been in on the joke when she received Jared Leto’s shocking gift. Her fellow Suicide Squad actor sent Viola a box of bullets. This was tame compared to some of the other gifts bestowed upon his co-stars, which included a used condom, a box of pornography, a live rat, and a dead hog.
Why Viola Davis wanted to pepper spray Jared Leto: https://t.co/JjrAr7SAMr pic.twitter.com/b3ciVgFJX0
— E! News (@enews) June 21, 2016
“It was a little worrisome,” Davis told about receiving bullets from Leto. “It made me a little bit nervous and I’m pretty tough. You know I got into a few fights when I was growing up… but it scared me a little.”
Viola Davis admitted that the first time she ever met Jared Leto out of character was at a Glamour Magazine wrap party after all the filming was done. Jared Leto was so serious about being the best possible version of the Joker in Suicide Squad that others working on the Warner Bros. film with him said that Jared never broke character while on-set. Leto even told those on set to call him “Mr. J” (as in Joker) for the entirety of filming.
“Before that I was only introduced to The Joker…and I almost had my pepper spray out. You know, ‘You remember that bullet you sent me?'”
Jared Leto is quickly becoming one of the best method actors in recent history. According to E! News, when Jared was talking about getting into his Suicide Squad role as the Joker, he stayed in character for months.
“I did a lot of things to create a dynamic to create an element of surprise, a spontaneity and to really break down any kind of walls that may be there,” he said. “The Joker is somebody who doesn’t really respect things like personal space or boundaries.”
Jared Leto’s Joker Is Going To Have One Hell Of A Suicide Squad Theme Song https://t.co/5eD9fgAL6Y pic.twitter.com/wfuFD2Nspr
— MTV News (@MTVNews) June 18, 2016
The National Post is making a case to add Jared Leto to the list of some of the greatest method actors in the history of film. They cite Leto’s “commitment to his art” as the reason he deserves to be mentioned among the greats. Method acting has produced some of the best performances in film and can be attributed to several Oscar wins by others who have been considered some of the best.
Jared Leto is known for disappearing into roles before he ever played the Joker in Suicide Squad. An example would be his portrayal of Rayon in The Dallas Buyers’ Club. Leto has been compared to Marlon Brando and Spencer Tracy in the way that he takes on a role and makes it feel real.
In the case of Suicide Squad, Jared Leto pulled many pranks and stunts that he felt were worthy of the Joker. This just happened to include sending sex toys to Will Smith and mailing a box of bullets to Viola Davis. With as much work as Leto put into the role of the Joker, if the rest of the all-star cast pull off their roles nearly as well, the upcoming comic book supervillain movie might just be one for the record books. Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5.
[Image via Warner Bros.]
