It says a lot about both Jared Leto and Morbius that the role of a brilliant scientist and creator of synthetic blood who tries to cure himself of a debilitating disorder, who accidentally turns himself into a superpowered buff vampire instead, is the most grounded performance we’ve seen from the actor in years.
He went full Method to play the Joker in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad by remaining in character and sending bizarre gifts to his co-stars, while he wore contact lenses that effectively blinded him for blockbuster sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049. The Little Things saw him wear a little padding under his costume and forego sleep in the name of sunken eyes, before House of Gucci saw him disappear under a massive pile of prosthetics in a Razzie-winning turn.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Leto’s fierce dedication and commitment to every part he signs on for, but in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 50 year-old reveals his Morbius preparations were nowhere near intense as people may have been expecting.
“I dove deep into the source material and there was a ton of it. This character’s been written about since, you know, way back in the day in the ’70s, and so there was a lot to learn, a lot to dig into, and then you just let your imagination take over. This is the first time this character’s been on screen, so it was, I was excited about having that opportunity.”
As a staunch vegan, Leto was unlikely to start drinking blood for sustenance in order to embody the mindset of the title hero, but that doesn’t make it any less surprising that he didn’t do something at least a smidgen on-brand and suitably bizarre for Morbius.
