10 Craziest Method Acting Behind Great Performances

10. Jared Leto... Well You Know - Suicide Squad

It’s hard not to feel sorry for Jared Leto, whose casting as the Joker seemed like a potential cash cow for years to come, but who has been quickly usurped in the public eye by Joaquin Phoenix. The new Arthur Dent, famously private, likely won’t be sharing his preparation secrets, but Leto’s were well publicised - and interesting.

Leto decided that The Joker was a character worth living and breathing in order to access the intricacies of what amounts to a violent clown who laughs a lot. He sent a live rat to co-star Margo Robbie. He sent the entirety of the cast a dead hog (with the exception of Viola Davis, who had made it abundantly clear that she would not react well to such hijinks).

By all accounts Leto found himself deep inside the character, so much so that Will Smith stated he felt he had not met the real Jared during their time working together. Disappointingly for Leto, the Joker doesn’t actually get that much screen time, and the film is stolen by Margo Robbie, who managed to create a memorable character without all this nonsense.