Jared Leto has built a reputation for fully committing to the characters he plays, especially when those characters happen to be villains.
Now, new stories from the set of Masters of the Universe suggest that his latest turn as Skeletor came with some memorable and slightly unsettling on-set behavior that has people drawing comparisons to his infamous time as the Joker in Suicide Squad.
During a recent interview with ScreenRant, Masters of the Universe director Travis Knight opened up about Leto’s approach to bringing the iconic He-Man villain to life. According to Knight, there was rarely a dull day whenever Leto stepped onto set.
“He would do something unexpected every single day. In ways that would delight me, that would horrify me, that would make me laugh. But that’s part of the character,” he said.
For fans familiar with the actor’s history of immersive performances, that description probably won’t come as much of a surprise.
One of the more unusual details Knight shared involved the way Leto chose to appear while filming scenes as Skeletor. Even though he wore the character’s costume and prosthetic muscle suit, his face remained uncovered because it will ultimately be replaced with a CGI skull in post-production.
That didn’t stop Leto from finding a way to make his presence feel more intimidating. Knight explained:
“But he didn’t want the other actors that he was sharing the scenes with to look at him and see Jared. He wanted them to look at him and see something scary. So he would put this kind of blood-like, smeary makeup on his face. So he looked scary as hell.”
It sounds like Leto was determined to make sure everyone sharing a scene with Skeletor felt like they were actually standing opposite the ruthless ruler of Snake Mountain and not a Hollywood actor waiting for visual effects to finish the job later.
Knight went on to say that Leto wanted to “swing for the fences” with the character and deliver a version of Skeletor that audiences would remember. For me, Skeletor was easily the best part of the movie, so I think Leto succeeded!
Of course, stories like these immediately bring back memories of Leto’s much-discussed preparation for playing the Joker in Suicide Squad. That production became famous for reports of bizarre gifts and pranks that allegedly made their way to cast members during filming.
Among the stories that surfaced at the time were reports that Leto sent a pig’s corpse to fellow cast members. The actor also said that he sent used condoms and anal beads to co-stars including Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.
Whether fans find his methods fascinating or completely over the top, Leto clearly approaches villain roles with a level of commitment that keeps people talking. Regardless, Leto’s performance as Skeletor is going to be one of the most talked about aspects of Masters of the Universe.
