Will Smith and Margot Robbie on the unique way David Ayer deals with actors

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Much has been written about how the acting ensemble which makes up the titular squad in SUICIDE SQUAD approached their characters, particularly how Jared Leto dived into the Joker's psyche by sending his co-stars some rather disturbing gifts, but director David Ayer had his own unique methods as well. Those methods involved getting together his entire cast for physical training as well as deep emotional analysis into their issues, which he then used to his advantage during filming.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly recently, Will Smith spoke a little about Ayer's approach.

They were technically rehearsals, but not really. It was much more about David spending time going through everyone’s lives, connecting our life experiences to our character’s life experiences and finding those parallels. What we didn’t realize was what he does in the process is he learns our buttons. We are really bonding but David is grabbing all of your deepest emotional issues so he can throw them back in your face on set.

Although Smith was on board with Ayer's way of bonding the cast, Margot Robbie wasn't really a fan.

It was a pretty vulnerable place to go. He wants to know about your personal history and your relationships and your childhood, things like that that you don’t really want to tell a stranger. And then you have to share that with the rest of your squad as well. I really didn’t like that.

It seems a little cruel, but it was merely a way for David Ayer to get the actors to bond and craft some "new tools" for their performances.

Acting is very lonely, I don’t think people realize how much these people live out of suitcases and just show up. If you can give them a sense of connection and family and build support around them, then you get the trust. I think trust drives performance.

Judging from how close the cast of SUICIDE SQUAD has become, even getting matching tattoos, I'd say that Ayer's exercises paid off. But, if there's a lesson to be learned from this, it's that if you're ever in a room with David Ayer, you should definitely not tell him about the time you touched penises with the neighbour boy in a barn when you were six, he'll only use it against you.

SUICIDE SQUAD hits theaters on August 5, 2016.