Between transforming the set into a makeshift tattoo parlour to the string of stories regarding Jared Leto’s method acting, Suicide Squad is fast becoming a production befitting of a behind-the-scenes documentary, if (when?) Warner Bros. opt to reveal the secrets behind David Ayer’s villain-centric actioner.
That in large part comes down to Leto’s portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime. Yes, the Oscar-winner may be setting out to deliver a performance that can stand toe-to-toe with that of Heath Ledger or even Jack Nicholson, but word from the set paints a performance the likes of which we’ve never seen – and that’s including his eye-catching turn in Dallas Buyers Club.
Heck, Will Smith even went so far as to say that he never actually met Jared Leto on set, only the actor’s seemingly all-consuming rendition of the famed DC supervillain. It’s a view echoed by Suicide Squad actor Ike Barinholtz, who spoke on The Howard Stern Show about Leto’s really rather bizarre stunt on the set. Bear in mind, that this pig-and-rat plot was pulled before the cameras began rolling on Ayer’s superhero flick.
“He did this crazy thing…all the actors were rehearsing, and his character is in love with Margot Robbie — she’s Harley Quinn…so we’re rehearsing, and this actor who plays the Joker’s kind of lieutenant, walks in and he goes, ‘Present for Ms. Quinn.’ Hands her a box. She opens the box, and a live, giant black rat pops out,” Barinholtz explained to Howard Stern. “And we’re like, ‘What the f–k is going on? That’s crazy!’ So 20 minutes later, we’re still rehearsing, and the actor comes back in and he goes, ‘This is for the squad from Mr. J.’ And he throws a pig on the table, a dead pig, and as he puts the pig on the table all these bullets start to come out of it…this is in a rehearsal space a month before we started shooting.”
Suicide Squad opens in theaters on August 6, 2016.