As Joker continues to break box office records around the world, it was inevitable that the last actor to portray the Clown Prince of Crime in a live-action movie would enter the conversation, though it must be said that this hasn’t been a great month for fans of Jared Leto’s Suicide Squad performance.
In the last few weeks, for instance, less-than-flattering reports have emerged that Leto was upset to find out that Warner Bros. was pushing ahead with plans for a standalone Joker movie without his involvement, and even went as far trying to get the project canceled. On top of that, the chances of Leto’s Joker making a comeback have never seemed slimmer, and to add further insult to injury, even one of his former co-stars recently implied that the Oscar-winner has been upstaged by Joaquin Phoenix’s widely acclaimed portrayal of the same character.
On the latest episode of The Big Ticket with Marc Malkin, Suicide Squad actor Joel Kinnaman shared his enthusiastic thoughts on Todd Phillips’ Joker. When Malkin asked the star if he felt like he was “cheating” on Leto by watching the new movie, Kinnaman replied with a dismissive, “No. Who?” before heaping some heavy praise on Phoenix’s performance:
“Joaquin just crushed. I mean, wow. He’s incredible. He’s such an actor. It’s surprising to see something have that kind of performance that has a DC wraparound because it’s a real art film. I have a sister who’s a schizophrenic and I’ve drawn on some of her behavioral things in some of the things I’ve done earlier and I was really struck by how accurate his performance was. I think he’s really one of the best of all time.”
While Kinnaman is confirmed to have made the cut of 2021’s The Suicide Squad, director James Gunn has already suggested that the Joker won’t be coming back for the upcoming sequel/reboot. What’s more, reports indicate that Leto also won’t appear in next year’s Birds of Prey, which will see Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn make a fresh start after breaking up with her Clown Prince.
Nonetheless, you can still catch the actor in another comic book universe when Morbius hits theaters on July 31st, 2020.
