This week, the Living Vampire finally comes to Sony Pictures' Universe of Marvel Characters in Morbius. In the movie, Oscar-winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic anti-hero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?
Last week, we caught up with Leto to discuss his part in the Marvel Comics adaptation and, in the video below, he talks to us about the work that went into this transformative role. That includes the use of motion capture, his comic book research, and the unique physicality his performance required.
We also hear from the actor on the possibility of Morbius crossing paths with Spider-Man and the Sinister Six, while Leto seems enthusiastic about potentially donning his character's classic comic book costume somewhere down the line. Finally, we hear from him about returning as The Joker in Zack Snyder's Justice League last year, an experience he describes as being "really special" to him.
Check out the full interview below and keep checking back here for much more on Morbius very soon.
Morbius will be released in cinemas on March 31.
Having previously played a character like The Joker who is this very intense psychopath, but with this role, you have the duality of Michael Morbius. How did that change your approach to this character?
Well, it’s different every time. You know, you look at the character, their circumstances, you dig in, you do the research, you educate yourself, and you hope to bring to life a character that’s compelling. In this case, as well, it is a character that’s never been on the big screen before so it was quite an honour to be asked to do it, and I’m excited that people are going to meet Dr. Morbius really soon.
In the comic books, Morbius has such a distinct costume so I’m curious whether was ever any talk of having that in this film or whether you’d be interested in suiting up down the line?
We talked about it, and decided for the first film it probably wasn’t gonna happen. There are some pretty great examples in the early comics and ideas of where we could go in the future if we suited up. That could be a lot of fun actually. I like a lot of those elements. The artwork for me was a great source of inspiration.
I know you’ve spoken about being interested in one day crossing paths with Spider-Man, but after No Way Home, you’ve got Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire, so do you have a preference for which of them you’d like to see Morbius meet first?
Man, I’ll take them all on!
I’d love to see it. With Venom, Morbius, Vulture, and Kraven the Hunter and Chameleon on the way, it feels like Sony could be setting the stage for something Sinister Six related. How would you feel about that and how Morbius might fit into the team of villains?
I think he would fit perfectly. We’ll see what they have in store, but that’s the exciting thing about being part of this world. You never know what’s going to happen.
I’ve read that motion capture was used for your performance as the Living Vampire side of Morbius, but what was that like for you as an actor instead of donning makeup and prosthetics?
I loved it. I mean, you take a huge leap of faith, but I loved the freedom. Especially to come in and out of the character. I was a big advocate of using technology and CGI for that part of the character.
You mentioned the artwork in the comics earlier, but in terms of research, with this being a character who hasn’t been in a movie before, were you looking a lot at the comics or even the various animated TV shows Morbius has been part of?
Yeah, I looked at everything. That’s what’s great about these characters. There’s so much material to dive into and it’s such a rich world. I read everything I could. I talked to doctors and scientists and did the research. I enjoy that part. I like to dive in and do that preparation.
Something I loved about your performance in the film is the different levels of physicality between before and after with Michael. How did you approach both sides of that in terms of when he’s ill and then later when he becomes this powerful vampire?
I appreciate that. It was a very physical performance and very physically challenging. A huge transformation happens, and in some ways, it was like developing three characters in one.
On another note, it’s been roughly a year since Zack Snyder’s Justice League came out and fans went crazy to see you back as The Joker, saying it felt like redemption for the character. What did that to you and what was it like revisiting him in such a different way to Suicide Squad?
It was great. Working with Zack is a beautiful thing. I adore him. I really loved the opportunity. It was really special and I enjoyed it a lot. It’s a unique thing to have been part of DC and to now have been part of Marvel. It’s pretty amazing.
Finally, Blade is coming back to the big screen somewhere down the line, so how do you see a meeting between Morbius and Mahershala Ali’s vampire hunter playing out?
That would be a pretty fascinating experience. I’d love to get in the ring with him.