Jared Leto has a thing about going method while filming his movies and perhaps his most legendary method acting occurred during the filming of 2016's Suicide Squad. Leto took on the role of the Joker in the film and his antics on set to stay in character were rumored to consist of sending disgusting gifts to castmates, including a live rat that he gave to Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn in the film. Leto has denied all of this but Viola Davis, who played Task Force X leader Amanda Waller in the film, is confirming once-and-for-all that he did gift Robbie with a rat on set.
While speaking with "Vogue" to promote her return as Amanda Waller in The Suicide Squad, Davis confirmed the gifting of the rat to Robbie but the details of her version differ slightly from the story we've heard of the years. Davis says the cast was together for rehearsal when Leto revealed he was about to "prank" Robbie by handing her a box that contained the rat. Here is what David recalls and, what's even more surprising, is Robbie's reaction to it:
"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' account deviates sightly from the tale we were always told. In versions of the story that have previously been stated, Leto always "sent" Robbie a rat in a box, presumably as a way of freaking the actress out and making their on-screen interactions more authentic and uncomfortable. Davis' version sounds more like a run-of-the-mill set prank. That being said, it's still weird and a bit gross, no matter how positively Robbie reacted to it.
It appears that these pranks did not take place on James Gunn's The Suicide Squad which brings back Davis' Amanda Waller and Robbie's Harley Quinn along with Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Peter Capaldi as Thinker, Alice Braga as Sol Soria, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Michael Rooker as Savant, Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., Sean Gunn as Weasel, Flula Borg as Javelin, Juan Diego Botto as Silvio Luna, and Mayling Ng as Mongal. Steve Agee is also pulling double duty doing the motion capture for King Shark and starring as John Economos, while Sylvester Stallone provides the vocal talent for King Shark.
Do YOU believe Viola Davis or Jared Leto about the rat story?