While much has been said about Suicide Squad thus far, from its stellar ensemble to Jared Leto’s method acting to the odd gift-giving on set, one person who hasn’t really weighed in just yet is Leto himself. The Oscar-winner went deep to bring a new iteration of The Joker to the big screen, and his commitment to the role meant he didn’t really interact with the other actors in the ensemble out of character—although this isn’t a special case; he’s a method actor, so he took the same approach to Dallas Buyers Club.

But with the press tour ahead of him, Leto has finally spoken up a bit about taking on such an iconic character, telling EW that the gravity of the role was not lost on him:

“The work that’s been done on this character by so many people before me has been so impactful, so incredible, so much fun, so profound, so risky, that it’s a very special thing to be asked to take on that responsibility.”

 

But given all that’s come before, Leto also knew he had to do something completely different, and he likens his unique interpretation to that of various actors tackling the role of Hamlet:

“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.”

 

Leto reiterated that he’s grateful to have been given the opportunity to put his own spin on this character, and I am incredibly curious to see what his performance adds up to. Thus far, we’ve only seen brief out-of-context snippets from writer/director David Ayer’s film, and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of Joker Leto intends on bringing to the screen.

Warner Bros. is reportedly undergoing some significant reshoots on Suicide Squad to up the levity in the film after the positive response to its delightful trailer, and also no doubt the joyless quality of Zack Snyder’s superhero epic Batman v Superman. I’m curious if these reshoots involve Leto or if his take on the Joker is colorful enough. Regardless, I am eagerly anticipating Suicide Squad’s August 5th release date.