Jared Leto responds to “bullsh*t” criticism of his Joker performance

Jared Leto has defended his performance as the Joker in Suicide Squad, following criticism from many. Leto’s supervillain role has been in the spotlight this week, as it was announced that the Joker and Harley Quinn will have a spinoff film, and more surprisingly, legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese is reportedly in talks to produce a standalone Joker origin story.

So we can expect to see plenty more of Leto’s Joker, however the Oscar-winning actor is still feeling rather peeved over the panning of his performance in Suicide Squad. Leto reportedly took extreme acting methods to perfect the part, including giving his fellow cast members several horrific gifts, including a dead pig, used condoms and anal beads. He even met with “psychopaths and people who had committed horrendous crimes.” to inhabit the role.

During an interview on Australia’s Kyle and Jackie O Show, Leto called the criticism “bullshit” and said that “ninety percent” of “the method acting crap” was “not even true”:

"There's so much hype and bullsh*t about that." @JaredLeto on #SuicideSquad pic.twitter.com/A3ujC91zlo

— Kyle and Jackie O (@kyleandjackieo) August 22, 2017

“There’s so much hype and bullshit around that, and I think it’s just a fun thing to talk about. Even when the movie came out, there was so much representation about what went down, about the method acting crap. Ninety percent of it was not even true, and it just takes on a life of its own.” he said.

He did at least have an “incredible experience” shooting the film, and “loved working” with Margot Robbie:

“Everyone was amazing. Margot Robbie, one of the nicest people. One of the best actresses I’ve ever worked with. I really loved working with her. I thought some of the scenes we did together was some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a set before. Everything’s great in that world, and I’m really proud to be a part of it.”

Leto next stars as the Joker in Suicide Squad 2, expected to arrive late 2018/early 2019.