Morbius was difficult for Jared Leto because the character is “closer to who I am”

Jared Leto’s latest character is thirsty for blood. Of course, we’re not referring to the serial killer he portrayed 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 said was a difficult character to portray in a new interview on Variety’s Actors on Actors series.

“It’s a great, fun, action-packed movie. He’s a brilliant doctor, a researcher, who starts out trying to find a cure for a disease he has and about 1,000 other people around the world. interested in the role because he continues this journey of dying to find a cure for this disease and become incredibly healthy and then change things in a way that he becomes monstrous. So he’s a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde, which is of course a classic role. “

Leto is best known for his character roles, as the 2013 Dallas Buyer’s Club transgender character Ray, who became a hotspot for questions about transgender portrayal in Hollywood. In an interview with actor John David Washington, Leto explained the challenges unique to character and playing in a Marvel movie.

“[Morbius] It was hard for me in a way, because I’m 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 the way I behave, ”Leto explained.

Leto also called the game in a Marvel movie “a pressure cooker”. “You have a clock ticking. These are expensive movies. And so all the decisions and the time it takes to make those decisions are a little hotter and so it can be a little more stressful. I think it’s common with these great movies, you don’t really start with a gem of a storyline, ”said the actor, who played the Joker in Suicide Squad 2016.“ You start with a hope, a dream, and an idea for something, and you try all to work as hard as you can, within that given amount of time, to make everything as good as it can be. once I’ve been in a great movie like this in my entire career, so that was new territory. I usually hide in the shadows. “

In the film, Leto plays 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 gruesome new look and many of the same powers and weaknesses as a classic vampire. Morbius the Living Vampire started life as a Spider-Man villain, but has grown into a Venom-style antihero. The film is part of the growing Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. After several delays, Morbius is set to hit theaters on January 21, 2022.