'Suicide Squad' Movie: Jared Leto Talks About The Joker, Says It Was Fun Playing 'Psychological Games' With the Character

A lot of people know that Jared Leto is a pretty good method actor, and so to prepare for his role as the Joker in the upcoming DC film "Suicide Squad," he had to fully immerse himself in the character's wild and unpredictable psyche.

When he was called up by Empire Magazine for a cover interview, he tried shedding off his onscreen persona for a while, but that did not mean that he was free of the Joker completely.

"I was just thinking that the Joker would probably just say, '(Expletive) you,' and hang up," he said.

It was not easy for Leto to get into the Joker's head, and the actor admitted that it was a terrifying experience.

"There was definitely a period of...detachment," he thoughtfully shared. "I took a pretty deep dive. But this was a unique opportunity and I couldn't imagine doing it another way. It was fun, playing those psychological games. But at the same time it was very painful, like giving birth out of my (expletive)."

Each person has their own perception of Batman's greatest foe, but for Leto, the Joker is a bit more grown up than what people have come to expect.

"I always get the sense that the Joker may be much older than people think. It's something different. If you don't break rules, you're not going to strike new ground. I think I'll be cooling down for the rest of my life," he said.

As for producer David Ayer, the Joker from "Suicide Squad" is someone who is actually accomplished and "more social...a very successful and smart businessman besides being a sociopath."

Ayer is very happy with what Leto has done to the character, who in the past was portrayed by the late Heath Ledger.

Ledger actually won a posthumous award for his role as the villain in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," which starred Christian Bale as Batman. Given what Ledger brought to the table as the Joker, expectations are pretty high on Leto's portrayal.

However, Ayer feels confident that fans will be impressed by him when they finally see the film.

"The Joker is the third rail of comic book movies. There's a power to that character, and by some freaking miracle, through the incredible things Jared has done and the photography and all the other millions of things that went into it, we've cooked up something transcendent. He's scary," he said.