7 Little Known Tics That Defined Jared Leto's Joker Performance

2. He Hypnotises Harley Without Blinking

It was a very conscious decision to remove Leto's eyebrows and to darken his eye sockets (which is typically a very Joker thing to do), because it drew more focus to his eyes as well as making him seem just not quite right.

The added focus to his eyes was another of Leto's weapons in making his character as creepy as possible. He spends most of his time on camera over-acting with his eyes, creating a sense of mania, as if Mr J believes there's power in the unbreaking intensity of his gaze. Which he probably would, since he expresses how impressed he is with Common's gangster because of his intensity.

And if you watch back, it's startling to see how little he actually blinks when he's talking to other characters. He fixes targets with a crazed stare, choosing only to close his eyes for affectation in most cases. And in that key scene with Harley Quinn, in which he seduces her to follow and free him, he doesn't blink at all as they talk.

He's essentially hyptnotising her with his gaze, validating her and her affection for him by making her feel truly, impossibly compelling. How better to sell that to her and his dangerousness to the audience than by having him refuse to break his gaze?