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Suicide Squad: Jared Leto 'reinterpreted' the Joker like actors do with Hamlet

'Directors take on great works of cinema, actors reinterpret roles, that’s been going on for a great deal of time. From Scarface to Hamlet'

Clarisse Loughrey
Friday 01 April 2016 09:39 BST
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There's a strange kinship between The Joker and Shakespeare's Hamlet; both of them roles that bear this strange weight of legacy, like the breath of cinematic history clouding every camera frame.

In that sense it's no wonder that Suicide Squad's pre-release hype has largely surrounded Jared Leto's Joker. It's an undeniably formidable challenge to take on the role made so iconic by the likes of Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger; especially with Ledger winning a posthumous Oscar for his role in The Dark Knight.

No wonder, then, that Leto's yet to really formulate what the weight of the challenge actually represents; how to describe climbing into the skin of Batman's greatest foe? "I haven't formulated a lot of my thoughts on this," he told Entertainment Weekly.

"You just knew you had to do something different. You had to make it your own. That happens all the time. Whether you’re a composer working on a piece of music that was written a century ago, or you’re an actor on stage, reinterpreting a play, it’s very common these days. Directors take on great works of cinema, actors reinterpret roles, that’s been going on for a great deal of time. From Scarface to Hamlet. In some ways it’s really interesting to reinterpret, redefine."

"It a weighty thing to do. But it’s exciting. The Joker is one of those roles. He was written brilliantly when he was first shared with the world 75 years ago, or something crazy like that. And I think I’m just really grateful I had the opportunity."

Though Leto may not be able to describe his own techniques; his co-workers are certainly capable of it. Director David Ayer even claimed "the world stopped" when Leto stepped on set in full character. It's pretty high praise, but can Leto's performance live up to the hype?

Suicide Squad hits UK cinemas 5 August.

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