Jared Leto’s latest character has a thirst for blood. Of course, we are not referring to the serial killer he portrays in his brand new Netflix movie The Little Things. We’re talking about Morbius, the character he plays in the movie of the same name, who he says was a difficult character to portray in a new interview in Variety’s Actors on Actors series.
“It’s a great, fun movie filled with action. It’s a brilliant doctor, a researcher, trying to find a cure for a disease he has and about 1,000 other people in the world. I was interested in the role because he’s going on this journey of dying after finding a cure for this disease and getting incredibly healthy, and then things change in a way that makes him monstrous, so it’s a bit Jekyll and Hyde , which is, of course, a classic role. “
Leto is best known for his character roles, such as the transgender character Rayon from 2013’s Dallas Buyer’s Club, who became a hotbed of questions about transgender representation in Hollywood. In an interview with actor John David Washington, Leto explained the challenges peculiar to the character and the lead role in a Marvel movie.
“[Morbius] was difficult for me somehow because I am not used to playing roles that are a little closer to who I am, day in and day out. “Dr. Michael Morbius is a little closer to the way I speak and how I act,” Leto explained.
Leto also called the play a “pressure cooker” in a Marvel movie. “You have a clock ticking. These are expensive movies. And all the decisions and the time to make those decisions are a little hotter and it can be a little more stressful. I think it’s common with these big movies, you do not really start with a jewel of a text, ‘says the actor, who played the Joker in the Suicide Squad in 2016. “You start with a hope and a dream and an idea of something , and you all try to work as hard as possible, in this given time, to make it as good as possible. And I think this is the first time in my entire career that I’ve ever starred in a great movie like this, so this was a new area. I generally hide in the shade. ‘
In the film, Leto plays the biochemist Michael Morbius, a scientist with a rare blood disease. Morbius gives himself an experimental treatment that combines his DNA with that of a bat, and in the process gives himself a frightening new look and many of the same strengths and weaknesses as a classic vampire. Morbius the Living Vampire started his life as a Spider-Man villain, but switched to an anti-hero in the manner of Venom. The film is part of Sony’s growing ‘Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters’. After multiple delays, Morbius is currently in theaters on January 21, 2022.