SUICIDE SQUAD Producer Said Joker Actor Jared Leto Had to be Referred to as "Mr. J" While on Set



It should be well known by now that actor Jared Leto went full blown method acting while on set as the Joker in SUICIDE SQUAD. He played Joker-like pranks on cast members, got them creepy gifts and other debauchery.

In an interview with Collider, producer Charles Rovan spoke about Leto's commitment to the role during production. And he went as far to say that the crew had to call him "Mr. J" while on set.

"The group first wasn’t sure because the AD’s [assistant directors] had to call him ‘Mr. J’ to get him to come to the set [laughs]. And he did in many ways isolate himself from the rest of the group, but that’s really what his character was, the purpose of his character in many ways, other than when he was with Harley or trying to get Harley. It was very entertaining, it was fuel for a lot of good sport and a lot of laughs, and his isolation bonded the squad, and we wanted the squad bonded.”

Rovan, then, revealed that SUICIDE SQUAD pretty much got a green light when writer/director David Ayer pitched it to Warner Bros. executives.

“[David] had a close relationship with [Warner Bros. executive] Greg Silverman and Greg said, ‘He’s got an idea on Suicide Squad, he wants to come in and pitch it.’ Having a guy like that who’s been able to—all of his films have had a certain level of groundedness to them, really feeling very richly real. And so having that sensibility, which is along the lines of what we were talking about earlier how we like to have things grounded in science or whatever, I was very anxious to hear what his take was gonna be on Suicide Squad and I was very happily surprised, but it was right exactly in the pocket that we were looking for. Honestly that movie was essentially greenlit in the pitch meeting.”

SUICIDE SQUAD releases on August 5, 2016.