Jared Leto must have realized that he had big shoes to fill in once he signed up for The Joker in the upcoming movie, "Suicide Squad." The 43-year-old actor is said to be "going all out for his portrayal" of the role, which was once portrayed by the late Heath Ledger.
Filling in the role of The Joker following the successful portrayal of Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight Returns" is no joke. When Jared Leto was announced as the new Joker for the upcoming super villain movie, "Suicide Squad," there was a divisive line amongst fans over whether or not Leto was right for the role. Last month, the first official images for the film were released and the photos received mixed reactions from fans.
As the "Thirty Seconds to Mars" musician is aware that he has big shoes to fill in, the musician turned actor is reportedly "going all out" for his upcoming role. According to Cinema Blend, Leto remains in character on and off cam. This fueled speculations that Leto may "rival if not surpass Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker."
While Leto has made it clear in the past that he will be creating his very own version of The Joker, fans began noting the similarities that Leto shares with Ledger. Leto began playing the role after he chopped off his hair, shaved his beard and bulked up for the role.
According to IB Times, Ledger went through extreme measures to successfully portray his character on screen. The outlet cited that Ledger kept himself secluded in a hotel room and kept a diary where he could write about his own twisted thoughts such as AIDS and landmines while in character.
Ledger and Leto also received doubts from several fans when they were first announced to play The Joker. In 2007, Ledger was still an emerging actor following his appearance in "Broke Back Mountain." Some fans believed that other actors were fitting for the role, but Ledger's performance in the 2008 "The Dark Knight" film surprised everyone. Leto, in contrast, has already won several awards as an actor before he was cast as the new Joker.
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