Viola Davis confirms Jared Leto really gave Margot Robbie a rat on the set of Suicide Squad. Leto made movie history when he took over the role of Joker for 2016’s Suicide Squad. But the ultimate verdict of fans and critics was that Leto whiffed in his interpretation of the role previously played by the likes of Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger.
The first issue people had with Leto’s Joker was the character’s outrageous look, often described as “gangsta Joker.” The second issue was Leto’s actual performance, which saw the notorious Method actor going deep into the sleaziness of the famous DC villain, with off-putting results. Indeed, stories soon emerged about the lengths Leto went to in order to immerse himself in the seedy role. Leto’s “getting into character” tricks reportedly included sending disgusting gifts to castmates, like the live rat he gave Harley Quinn actress Robbie. For his part, Leto has denied he ever gave Robbie a rat, but the story continues to follow him around nonetheless.
Five years after the original Suicide Squad added to the legend of Method actor Leto while disappointing DC comics fans, James Gunn is bringing the supervillain team back to screens for The Suicide Squad. Leto isn’t back for the follow up but Robbie is, and so too is Davis, playing Task Force X leader Amanda Waller. Speaking to Vogue about the Suicide Squad do-over, Davis once-and-for-all confirmed that Leto did indeed give Robbie a rat on the first film, though the details of her version differ slightly from the legend. Davis says the cast was assembled for a rehearsal when Leto revealed he was about to “prank” Robbie by handing her a box containing a rat. But Robbie didn’t react exactly the way one might expect. Davis recalls:
“I was saying loudly, ‘Don’t open the box!’ I was halfway out the door when she opened the box...and saw the biggest black rat you could imagine. Then… she cooed at it. No fear. Open. Receptive. Full of joy.”
Davis’ story indeed deviates slightly from the rat tale as it’s always been told. In versions previously related, Leto always “sent” Robbie a rat in a box, presumably as a way of freaking her out and making their on-screen interactions more authentically uncomfortable. Davis’ version makes the whole thing sound like more of a regular old on-set prank, though it’s still gross.
The big twist to the story of course is that Robbie wasn’t freaked out by Leto’s gift at all and instead enjoyed it. Robbie “cooing” at the sight of Leto’s rat may indeed prove that she’s the real Method actor, as that’s the exact reaction one would expect from her character Harley Quinn, who went on to have a pet hyena in Birds of Prey. Or maybe being from Australia, a country filled with terrifying animals, Robbie simply isn't bothered by something as relatively benign as a rat.
It’s certainly good to hear that Robbie wasn’t traumatized by Leto’s gift to her, but of course that doesn’t necessarily let Leto off the hook. Indeed, in today’s environment of intimacy coaches and directors implementing “no a—holes” policies, on-set behavior is being policed more than ever before. It’s really no surprise then that Leto continues to deny the rat story, as he certainly doesn’t want to have a reputation for being a problem. Either way, Leto is not back for the Suicide Squad sequel, but Robbie and Davis are. There are no rats in the movie, but there is a giant weasel, that thankfully is CGI.
Source: Vogue
