Jared Leto: It Was An Honor To Play The Joker

Jared Leto talked about what a great opportunity it was to play one of DC’s greatest villains

Batman and for that matter some of his villains haven’t always had the best onscreen representation over the years. With one exception. Arguably Batman’s greatest villain, The Joker, always seems to be played by someone who really nails the part yet is distinct enough to make their performance really stand out from others before them. It goes all the way back to Cesar Romero, who played the role on the Adam West Batman TV Show in the 1960s, but has continued with actors like Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill and of course Heath Ledger.

And now we are getting a new Joker in the  upcoming Suicide Squad film played by Jared Leto. We’ve all heard numerous stories about Jared Leto’s bizarre “method” behavior on the set to get into the role, but at the same time, recently talking about the movie, Jared Leto seemed very aware that he was taking on a very respected role and many talented actors have done a great job before him:

"It was a role of a lifetime. Really, it was an incredible honor to be asked to play the part. Look, there have been so many incredible performances of the Joker over the years. Then there’s the wonderful artists that have drawn this character and the writers that have written the Joker for 75 years and more through television and film and animated projects. I found it a real honor to be asked to continue the tradition. I’m so grateful that I had the chance, that’s my honest answer and my thoughts on it."

Next: First Suicide Squad Music Video!

This isn’t really a huge surprise, as I think if Jared Leto didn’t care about the role, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to be the character the whole time during filming. Hopefully that results in a Joker that is different, but still Joker and great. Suicide Squad opens in theaters August 5th.

h/t Deadline