Warning: There are SPOILERS ahead for Blade Runner 2049. So if you haven’t watched Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic then you should really do so before reading the below.
When Jared Leto originally joined “Blade Runner 2049” it was widely assumed that the Academy Award winner would be going toe-to-toe with Ryan Gosling in the hugely anticipated blockbuster. But, now that the film has been released, it transpires that Jared Leto’s role as Niander Wallace was actually a lot smaller than anticipated.
This isn’t the first time that fans of the actor have been left feeling a little short-changed by his screen-time. While we’re still not exactly sure how much Leto has supposed to be in “Suicide Squad” as the Joker there was an overwhelming sense of disappointment when, rather than being part of the posse, he actually just flittered in and out.
It turns out that this is something Jared Leto has noticed himself. During my conversation with the actor ahead of “Blade Runner 2049’s” release I quizzed him about the hysteria that surrounds any possible update to his tenure as the Joker, suggesting that it has to do with the fact that Marvel release 2 to 3 films a year.
“I have no idea,” was Leto’s response, before he then added, ”But I was joking with my friend the other day, ‘I only star in trailers’
The above suggests that Leto is well aware that not only were his appearances in both “Suicide Squad” and “Blade Runner 2049” on the short side, but that they were so prominent in the promotion and trailers that he and his fans ultimately felt a little underwhelmed when they weren’t really added to in the released film. Or, maybe, it was just a little playful joke.
There’s more than a little truth to it, though, and we can only hope that it is a wrong that’s righted in the near future. Because watching Leto fully inhabit a character and then let fly on screen for an extended period of time is a joy to behold.
