Jared Leto

Jared Leto faced a major challenge when he took on the role of the Joker in the DC flick ‘Suicide Squad’, following Heath Ledger’s iconic performance as the Clown Prince of Crime in 2008’s ‘The Dark Knight’.

His casting and portrayal were met with widespread criticism from fans, with many strongly disapproving of the direction taken for the character.

Leto’s co-star Margot Robbie - who played the Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in the movie - later theorised the negative reception to the actor’s portrayal of the character largely stemmed from the confusing, hyper-edited backstory to the Clown Prince of Crime in ‘Suicide Squad’.

She said: “They probably realised that the emotional through-line of the story had to be the mission that we were on, and explaining the Enchantress’ position and all that kind of stuff.

“And the [Harley and Joker] backstory stuff, though it’s magic and some of the stuff we shot was insane, they are flashbacks … so there’s a lot, but it just didn’t make sense to confuse the present storyline to incorporate all that.”