Jared Leto goes Method with Suicide Squad pranks on set

The MCU has been full tilt for years now, leaving fans of perceived rivalry eager to see the DC universe catch up with Batman V Superman, releasing next year. However, one thing DC has always done extremely well is the crafting of their villains, so the fact that BVS is taking a back seat in excitement to their supervillain vehicle, Suicide Squad, shouldn’t surprise.

Adding to the hype surrounding the film is the casting of Jared Leto as the famed Joker, bringing the character back for the first time since the 2008 death of Heath Ledger. Leto joins the ranks of other DC alum method actors such as Christian Bale whose techniques involve literally taking on the character’s persona and living their lives in that headspace for the duration of the project. While the Strasberg system of acting is a controversial one, it always seems to make for interesting conversations with the castmates of those who practice it.

This week Leto’s co-star, Adam Beach, sat down with E! and made mention of how excited he is for the film and Leto’s role in it, as well as some of the Joker-esque gifts he had sent to Margot Robbie (playing Joker’s main gal, Harley Quinn), “He sent [Margot Robbie] a nice love letter with a black box with a rat in it—a live rat. It was beautiful. Then he sent bullets to Will [Smith] with a letter, and a dead hog…Basically, what he said was, ‘Guys, I can’t be there but I want you to know I’m doing my work as hard as you guys.’ The video he showed is in character. It blew our minds away. Then we realized that day, this is real.”

The Joker is as iconic as Batman at this point and it will be interesting to see where Leto takes the character and while comparisons to Ledger’s turn in the role are inevitable, it’s pretty obvious that the new incarnation is being taken seriously by those involved.

Suicide Squad opens on August 6, 2016 following the March 25th release of Batman V Superman.