With the summer months are coming to a close, so is summer blockbuster season. And while we've seen a bunch of superhero movies fly into theaters, we still have one more before the fall begins. That is none other than David Ayer's highly anticipated Suicide Squad, which is hoping to revitalize the DC Extended Universe and bring some fun to the otherwise somber Zack Snyder-ey universe. Much of the controversy revolving around Suicide Squad is the bizarre and somewhat extreme method of filmmaking, by both the actors and Ayer himself. Now it looks like we have another example of a Suicide Squad actor perhaps taking their craft a bit too far.
Divergent actor Jai Courtney is playing Boomerang in Suicide Squad, and he apparently took to some extreme measures to find his character. In a recent interview Courtney revealed that he had taken magic mushrooms during his process in the villain comic book movie. This led many to believe that he may have been on drugs when talking to David Ayer, or even on set. Courtney has just clarified his practice to Superhero Hype saying,
The thing is, why would I take magic mushrooms and get on a phone call with David Ayer? Obviously that's not the case. All I was saying is that I happened at one point to have taken mushrooms, and I was doing a little thinking about my character, and just investigating stuff a little further.
Well, I'm glad we got that cleared up. Jai Courtney might have experimented with drugs, but he didn't do it anywhere near the Suicide Squad set.
The Suicide Squad set seems extremely method in regards to acting. Method acting revolves around truly exploring the psyche of your character, helping you to transform when you're on camera or stage. Some actors take this even further, refusing to break character while they're working. While Jai Courtney was still himself in between takes, it seems he did take things pretty far to find Boomerang within. In addition to using hallucinogenic mushrooms to explore his mind, he also experimented with self-mutilation, putting out cigarettes on his skin.
Jai Courtney isn't the only Suicide Squad actor taking extreme measures to find his character. Jared Leto took things even further than Courtney, staying in character for the entirety of the film's filming. Additionally, he would send his co-stars bizarre and sexual gifts from the Joker. Leto also revealed that, in order to find Joker's signature laugh, he would walk through the streets of New York laughing maniacally. And Leto has stated that the Joker is still inside him, which would make sense after he watched graphic videos of violence for months.
What do you think of all of these extreme methods for character development? Are they taking things too far, or is it worth it for a dynamic performance?
