Jared Leto got a little more R-rated than just "very painful" when explaining how it felt to play The Joker in "Suicide Squad," the DC Comics movie coming out in July 2016.

Jared opened up to Empire Magazine in his first interview on the subject, first joking (via CBM) that "the Joker would probably just say 'F--k you' and hang up." But Jared didn't hang up, he talked about listening to 1920s gospel music and reading literature on shamans while playing the role. He also apparently called co-star Jim Parrack (Jonny Frost) with orders to do things like spray-paint roses black and fill a backpack with nails.

Here's more from Jared:

There was definitely a period of...detachment. I took a pretty deep dive. But this was a unique opportunity and I couldn't imagine doing it another way. It was fun, playing those psychological games. But at the same time it was very painful, like giving birth out of my prick hole."

!!!

That should be the new standard for male actor pain. The deep dive part is not a surprise, since co-star Will Smith said he still hasn't even met Jared, he's only met The Joker. Jared continued:

I always get the sense that The Joker may be much older than people think. It's something different. If you don't break rules, you're not going to strike new ground. I think I'll be cooling down for the rest of my life."

Director David Ayer also gushed about Jared's performance, calling The Joker "the third rail of comic book movies" but "by some freaking miracle, through the incredible things Jared has done and the photography and all the other millions of things that went into it, we've cooked up something transcendent. He's scary."

Nice. Empire also shared a bunch of new photos. The one above, with Margot Robbie's Harley and the Joker, is from David Ayer himself, who tweeted with the shot, "Time for a little thereapy @MargotRobbie @JaredLeto #skwad."

The magazine also included a description of a scene from the movie. Here's the rundown from CBM:

It kicks off with Deadshot, Diablo, Boomerang, Slipknot, Harley Quinn, and Killer Croc on board a Chinook helicopter, joined by a small cadre of Navy SEALs. Both they and Task Force X are led by Rick Flag, but it's then that someone else joins them; Katana. The twist here however is that she's actually a volunteer, and Flag's bodyguard! Here's the dialogue from the sequence:

"She's got my back," Flag informs the Squad. "I'd advise not getting killed by her - her sword traps the souls of its victims." Harley extends her hand, perky and smirky. "Harley Quinn, nice to meetcha. Love your perfume. What is that: Stench of Death?"

That sounds perfect, but were you expecting Killer Croc to act as Suicide Squad's comedic relief?

Read more here. Sound (and look) good so far? "Suicide Squad" will be released August 5, 2016.

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