While portraying the Joker, Jared Leto’s on-set antics may have garnered more buzz than his actual performance in 2016’s Suicide Squad. Many talents have donned the role of the infamous Clown Prince of Crime. The varying iterations of the fictional villain have offered audiences a multifaceted glimpse into the character, be it through the efforts of Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix, or many others.

Leto’s controversial depiction, however, received mixed reviews from both fans of DCEU and critics at the expense of his reputation. The actor, who utilized a method of deep immersion to embody the role, haunted the audience at the time with reports detailing his bizarre on-set behavior and peculiar off-screen interactions involving the Suicide Squad (2016) cast.

One such instance was highlighted by a prominent talent associated with the David Ayer-helmed endeavor, who recounted a freakishly offbeat encounter he had with the Morbius alum.

Jared Leto’s Bizarre On-Set Behavior While Playing The Joker

Jared Leto’s strange commitment to method acting

Leto’s commitment to method acting for the 2016 David Ayer-directed DCEU pursuit proved disastrous for his castmates. The Requiem for a Dream star attested to his dedication to the contentious role by claiming that he tried to “create an element of surprise” in hopes of bringing forth a sense of on-set spontaneity. He committed certain acts as a way of “breaking down any kind of walls” that existed between him and the rest of the Suicide Squad cast. The aforementioned is what he stated in an interview with E! News.

Additionally, he used the following counterargument to presumably justify his unconventional and inappropriate behavior while portraying the DC villain:
“The Joker is somebody who doesn’t really respect things like personal space or boundaries.”
To honor the Joker’s disturbed psyche, Jared Leto ended up engaging in peculiar activities. His off-screen shenanigans dictate the controversial nature of method acting; a technique which has been used frequently by Hollywood talents to often rationalize and defend strange, unreasonable, and wacky behavior.
Viola Davis was among the talents who witnessed Jared Leto’s bizarre tactics
The anecdotes that have been provided by Leto’s Suicide Squad cast members elaborated on his unusual behavior. Some of the tactics utilized by the star to fully commit to his portrayal of the fictional persona included sending used condoms, an*l beads, and bullets as “gifts” to his co-stars. According to Viola Davis, who portrayed Amanda Waller in the 2016 premise, the cast received a dead pig from Jared Leto’s “henchman”. Margot Robbie, on the other hand, was sent a live rat!

The majority of these antics were excused as pranks. But given their severe nature, these examples allude to a range of awkward experiences that Jared Leto’s Suicide Squad co-stars had to live through.

Jared Leto Groped And Kissed Co-Star Ike Barinholtz

Ike Barinholtz played Griggs in Suicide Squad
Ike Barinholtz, an actor-comedian, was one of the many individuals involved with David Ayer’s film who experienced the side effects of Jared Leto’s highly immersive method acting techniques. In 2017, Barinholtz, who played Griggs in Suicide Squad, appeared on The Howard Stern Show and disclosed intimate and unsettling information about his experience of having to work with Leto in a particular scene:
“I do this scene with Jared Leto and he’s supposed to be intimidating me. He comes in, he’s the Joker, and he starts squeezing my t*ts. He’s like [panting and moaning] ‘You’re a big guy’. This is while we’re filming. Then he f*cking grabs me and kisses me. On the mouth, full kisses me.”
Adding on, the actor stated:
“I thought, OK, I’m just gonna go with it. But then he’s like, [panting and moaning again] ‘Did someone piss their pants?’ I’m like, now I did because you said I did!”

Although Barinholtz, later in his retelling of the incident, claimed he was a “fan” of Leto’s, the latter’s unsettling ways of getting into character startled most of his co-stars. The negative reputation most commonly associated with method acting has been earned due to incidents like these. Making a deep dive into a fictional character’s portrayal should never entail engaging in intrusive “pranks”. 

The creation of an authentic yet complex on-screen dynamic does not inherently depend on peculiar on-set antics or awkward interactions with co-stars. Method acting shouldn’t require behaving inappropriately towards cast members, as has been previously affirmed by actors like Andrew Garfield. Instead, it should involve the practice of “living truthfully under imagined circumstances” while honoring everyone’s boundaries and limits.

A productive workplace is characterized by mutual respect and civility for one another. The entertainment industry should not be exempted from such standards.