It's No Joke: Jared Leto Chops His Hair for 'Suicide Squad'
Jared Leto is ditching the Jesus look and embracing his inner Joker. Earlier today, director David Ayer tweeted two new photographs of Leto, who stars as Batman’s most iconic nemesis in the upcoming Suicide Squad. One photograph, below, shows a pair of open scissors being held up to Leto’s lush ponytail. The second, above, shows the clean-shaven actor in three-quarter profile, running a hand through his newly trimmed hair.
This is a dramatic change fromthe hirsute look Leto sported at the Oscars just over a week ago, complete with full beard and ombre-tinted hair flowing halfway down his chest. (The actor re-posted Ayer’s ponytail photo on Instagram today with the caption “I miss my beard already.”)
Jared Leto at the Oscars on Feb. 22
Of course, Leto is no stranger to making dramatic changes for a role. For his Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club as Rayon, a transgender woman dying of AIDS, Leto made a complete physical transformation, waxing off his eyebrows and shedding over 30 pounds. In addition to cutting his famous hair, Leto told Billboard last month that he was “trying to gain a lot of weight” in preparation for Suicide Squad (though it doesn’t show in Ayer’s photos). It sounds like Leto is working hard to prepare for his debut as the Joker, and who can blame him? The last actor to play the Joker on the big screen was Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Oscar for his universally acclaimed performance in 2008’s The Dark Knight.
Suicide Squad, however, will be a very different animal from Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Based on the DC comic series, the film presents an ensemble of Batman villains who join forces for a shot at redemption from the government. The all-star cast also includes Will Smith as one-eyed assassin Deadshot; Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn; Cara Delevingne as the magician Enchantress; and Jai Courtney as the Australian mercenary Boomerang.
Further details of the film are still cloaked in mystery, although Ayer seems to be having fun tweeting out bits and pieces. Here are a few production photos that Ayer has posted to Twitter in the past several weeks.
Jai prepares for battle #SuicideSquad — @DavidAyerMovies/Twitter
Tools. #skwad — @DavidAyerMovies/Twitter
#writing — @DavidAyerMovies/Twitter
Once in a while, the director will even answer eager fans’ questions. In response to one Twitter follower asking “Could you please describe Jared Letos’s joker in one word?”, Ayer tweeted, “Majestic.”
Images: @DavidAyerMovies/Twitter
