Morbius Director Confirms What We Suspected All Along About Jared Leto's On-Set Behavior
Of the massive pantheon of Marvel Comics heroes, Spider-Man's cinematic success is second to none. For two decades, the wall-crawler has dazzled moviegoers in various forms, raking in cash and generally garnering goodwill from critics along the way. Bearing this prosperity in mind, Sony Pictures recently made the bold move to explore Spidey's corner of the Marvel universe without him, putting the spotlight on a handful of other iconic characters in what's now known as Sony's Spider-Man Universe. The "Venom" franchise has carried this initiative so far, but it won't be alone for much longer.
On April 1, 2022, Sony will reveal "Morbius" to the world, thus adding a new series to its budding Spider-Man Universe. The film focuses on the titular doctor (played by Jared Leto) as he struggles to find a cure for his rare blood disease. Left with few other options, he attempts an experimental treatment involving bats that appears to relieve him of his ailments, but not without some serious side effects. In the aftermath, he develops the abilities and appearance of a vampire, as well as an unquenchable thirst for blood. All the while, he's hunted by the FBI, chiefly Simon Stroud (Tyrese Gibson).
To do right by the Michael Morbius seen on the pages of Marvel Comics, Jared Leto went above and beyond to deliver the most impactful performance he could. According to director Daniel Espinosa, though, this dedication manifested itself in worrisome ways on set.
Jared Leto got spooky with his portrayal of Michael Morbius
Over the years, Jared Leto has earned a reputation in Hollywood as one of its most hardcore method actors: a performer who goes to great mental and physical lengths to embody their given character as wholly as possible regardless of whether or not cameras are rolling. He infamously went to scary extremes to portray the Joker in 2016's "Suicide Squad" (via MTV) and supposedly had "olive oil for blood" in the 2021 drama "House of Gucci" (via Consequence). Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Leto didn't hold back when it came time to film "Morbius."
"I got scared for Jared. He really commits. You have to watch out for it," Daniel Espinosa told Variety, referring to Leto's approach to a scene where Morbius locks himself in a room in hopes of resisting his increasingly strong urge to drink blood. Espinosa goes on to note that in another sequence where Morbius shatters glass, much of the crew "backed off" and that the entire moment was "a bit spooky." Drew Crevello of "WeCrashed" fame tacks on that "It felt strange to call him 'Jared' after production," which he feels is the "highest compliment [he] could pay."
It sounds like Jared Leto potentially stepped over some lines to play Michael Morbius, but was doing so worth it? We'll just have to wait and see for ourselves when "Morbius" hits theaters in a mere few weeks.