How Jared Leto Found Joker’s Iconic Laugh

Joker jared leto

We are only one short week away from Suicide Squad and having all of our burning questions about the film answered. A ton of those questions are Joker related; we don't know much about how he fits into the story or really anything about this version of the character. Jared Leto had the unenviable task of bringing The Joker back to the big screen, and he went all in for the role. We've heard stories of Leto sending his fellow cast members weird gifts, but wait until you hear how he honed the Joker's iconic laugh.

Jared Leto recently appeared on Good Morning America to promote Suicide Squad and talk about his approach to bringing the iconic DC villain to life. The actor reportedly dove deep into himself to find the insanity necessary to play The Joker, describing himself as a detective. That included creating his own signature laugh, a staple for any Joker worth his salt. This is how he went about creating the laugh.

A lot of experimentation. I remember wandering the streets of New York and in Toronto where we were shooting, and I would just laugh out loud and see how people would react to it. Every time when I started to hone in on this laugh, I realized it was the one that really, people would turn around and be like, 'What the hell is that?'

I would imagine that any amount of freaky laughing would get you some stares, but this is such a Jared Leto thing to do. We can only imagine the number of laughs he went through before he found the one that made people just the right amount of uncomfortable. Was it crazy enough for someone to call the cops? When the police show up, then you know you've got your Joker laugh down.

If you'd like a sample of some crazy Joker laughs, then here's the king of all Jokers, Mark Hamill, letting it rip in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, an excellent Batman movie.

This is only the latest story of how crazy Jared Leto got while playing the character. He even told Good Morning America that he felt like the character was still inside of him after filming had wrapped. Leto was in character the entire time on set, and was so fascinating that the crew would just stop working and watch him. Will Smith even said that after working together for six months, he hadn't even met the "real" Jared Leto. Not to mention the gifts he would send to the cast, like giving Margot Robbie a live rat. No matter how people take to his Joker when the movie comes out, you can't say he didn't put the work in.

You can get creeped the hell out by Jared Leto's Joker in Suicide Squad which finally hits theaters next weekend.

Matt Wood

Matt has lived in New Jersey his entire life, but commutes every day to New York City. He graduated from Rowan University and loves Marvel, Nintendo, and going on long hikes and then greatly wishing he was back indoors. Matt has been covering the entertainment industry for over two years and will fight to his dying breath that Hulk and Black Widow make a good couple.