The "Jared Leto Suicide Squad cast gifts" fiasco is a story that's been talked about heavily since the original rumor was started. While he did originally say on a red carpet that he gave some of his cast members gifts that are quite rude or at the very least surprising, Leto is now saying that those comments were purely just for fun.
Original reports stated that, as he was deep into his role as the Joker, Leto gifted the rest of the Suicide Squad cast with some objectively inappropriate gifts. These include used condoms, anal beads, "sticky" Playboy magazines, and even a mouse given to his on-screen Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie.
While he's not denying the rodent present, he is now disputing some of the more extreme claims. He confirms to Entertainment Weekly that these comments, which he did say himself, were purely made "in jest". When Leto made these original claims, it's important to note that his co-star did not dispute them. Robbie confirmed that he had given her a mouse, even saying that she kept it. Will Smith made several comments about how deep Leto was into his role, saying that he went "full Joker" and that they never knew what to expect from him. Co-star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was the one to bring up the Playboy magazines in the first place. Now that Leto is denying many of these gifts, it seems he's implying that all of his co-workers were "in on the joke".
This isn't the first time he's addressed these comments, and that could be in part because the public didn't react very well to them when they were originally said. Fans did give the actor some backlash, especially when it came to the more naughty seeming gifts. Sending someone a used condom as a gift is not only something most people would just think is gross, but it could also be deemed sexual harassment due to the nature of the gift. Leto is known for his method acting, however, and that act would not be out of character for the Joker.
Warner Bros. has not made any comments confirming or denying Leto's new claims. He does, however, seem very adamant in his truth, saying that any of the "few" gifts given were done so "with a spirit of laughter, fun, and adventure." He also says that their reception was also in the spirit of fun and that all of these events are filmed.
Currently, Leto is doing promotion for his upcoming film House of Gucci, in which he plays Paolo Gucci. House of Gucci will be in theaters on November 24th. Meanwhile, The Suicide Squad franchise moved on without Leto's Clown Prince of Crime.
Suicide Squad is now available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: Entertainment Weekly