‘Suicide Squad’ Director David Ayers Says When Jared Leto’s Joker Steps On Set ‘Everyone Stops’

Suicide Squad Director David Ayers told the DC Vertigo Daily blog about a chilling rarity of Jared Leto‘s Joker’s effect on not only the cast and the movie, but the behind-the-scenes crew as well.

“What Jared Leto has done is absolutely incredible. When he steps onto set the world stops,” said Ayers. “Everything stops. What he’s done is so powerful, so menacing, and so palpable, you can feel him. The crew stops working and just watches him. I have to get everybody to go again because he’s so fascinating.”

This is not the first of the impressive anecdotes about the actor and musician’s work as the Joker. His co-stars, Deadshot actor Will Smith, Harley Quinn actress Margot Robbie and actress Viola Davis say that he rarely breaks character during filming. Leto also sent creepy gifts to his co-stars, including a dead hog and a live rat. Robbie says that she cherishes it, like her character would do, and Davis says that she witnessed one of Leto’s “henchmen” deliver the hog, and her disgust helped her dedicate more to her character.

“I’m terrified as a person thinking ‘Is he crazy?'” recounted Davis to Vanity Fair, “But the second part was ‘Oh sh-t! I got to have my stuff together.’ You talk about commitment and then he sends Margot Robbie a black rat. It was still alive in a box. She screamed, and then she kept it.”

Despite the 32% on Rotten Tomatoes for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and thus the question of future production of DC Comics movies, Suicide Squad anticipation is clearly running high. Fans will have to wait until Aug. 5 to see Leto’s work for themselves.