When word got out that Jared Leto would not be reprising his role as Joker for the female-fronted DCEU film HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY, many who'd been looking forward to the studio's bone-breaking glitter party were relieved. As the story goes, Leto's version of the Clown Prince of Crime was named as one of the most maligned aspects of David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD, a film that despite disappointing a number of fans, garnered $746.9 million at the worldwide box office. Be that as it may, Leto was not asked to return for the Cathy Yan-directed romp that uses the end of Harley and Joker's abusive courtship as a springboard for the zany, diamond-snatching antics to come. This being the case, some audience members left Birds of Prey screenings feeling a bit confused, after seeing that Joker does indeed appear in the film. Are you suddenly feeing puzzled, befuddled, or perplexed? Allow me to put a smile on that face by revealing who starred as the Jester of Genocide in HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY.
The actor who played JOKER in Birds of Prey is none other than Johnny Goth, a California-based Lo-Fi Indie rocker!
When asked about how he scored the role as Mistah J for HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY, Johnny told Earshot Media, "I knew a few people working on the film and they had heard they needed someone to be the Joker and thought it would be sick if I did it. They needed someone with similar hands to Leto’s Joker and someone who would fit the costumes so I just came in and turned out to be the same sizes and they gave me the part. We filmed about a month after.
There were big shoes to fill taking on this role as someone with no experience but we had a good time and I hope to make my way back to the big screen soon."
According to Earshot Media, Goth caught the attention of indie music fans around the internet with his distinct guitar soundscapes and ambient vocals, evident in the standout single "Feels Like We're Dying", a track which has gained millions of views/streams across various music-listening platforms.
You can check out the music video for Johnny Goth's brand-new track "Waste" below:
Directed by Cathy Yan, HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Helena Bertinelli/Huntress, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, Ewan McGregor as Black Mask, and Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz.
HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY is still playing in theaters now, and has so far snatched up $173.7 million at the worldwide box office, a total that surpasses the film's $84.5 million dollar budget and then some.