Playing The Joker is the acting challenge of a lifetime.
Not only do you have to pull off hideous shades of purple, but you also have to infuse a sense of believability into character so deliciously unhinged from reality. Two actors, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, have skillfully brought the supervillain to life in 1989's "Batman" and 2008's "The Dark Knight," respectively, and now it's Jared Leto's turn.
Leto posted a meme to his Instagram account featuring Nicholson and Ledger dressed in Joker drag with the words "Don't worry Leto will make us proud" emblazoned across the photo. He captioned the picture with a simple green heart.
Leto will, of course, star as the next incarnation of the iconic comic book villain in "Suicide Squad" and recently revealed what it was like to embody a character with some deep psychological issues.
"There was definitely a period of ... detachment," Leto shared with Empire. "I took a pretty deep dive. But this was a unique opportunity and I couldn't imagine doing it another way. It was fun, playing those psychological games. But at the same time it was very painful, like giving birth out of my prick hole."
Nicholson also described the emotional toll of playing the character and told reporters after Ledger died in 2008 that he actually "warned" the Australian actor about taking on the role, according the New York Daily News.
Some believe that Ledger's death was connected to his role, which earned him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Ledger said he reportedly "slept an average of two hours a night" because "[he] couldn't stop thinking" and "[his] mind was still going."
Judging by the trailer, it looks like Leto will deliver the performance of a lifetime. We've got a feeling he'll have his own meme one day.
"Suicide Squad" hits theaters August 5, 2016.
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