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Jared Leto stayed in character during bathroom breaks while filming Morbius

Jared Leto was slowing down production by walking to the bathroom on crutches.

Jared Leto was given a wheelchair to escort him to the bathroom so he could stay in character while making Morbius.

The House of Gucci star is well-known for immersing himself fully in his characters, and he was so committed to playing disabled doctor Michael Morbius, who has a rare blood disorder, that he used crutches both on and off camera.

In a new interview with Uproxx, Morbius director Daniel Espinosa confirmed a rumour that Leto walked so slowly to the bathroom on crutches that Leto and the filmmaking team made a deal to get him a wheelchair so the toilet breaks could be quicker.

“Because I think that what Jared thinks, what Jared believes, is that somehow the pain of those movements, even when he was playing normal Michael Morbius, he needed, because he’s been having this pain his whole life. Even though, as he’s alive and strong, it has to be a difference. Hey, man, it’s people’s processes,” Espinosa said. “All of the actors believe in processes. And you, as director, you support whatever makes it as good as you can be.”

When asked if he found Leto’s approach “frustrating”, he defended the actor and explained that his method makes him tick.

“If you want a completely normal person that does only things that you understand, then you’re in the wrong business,” he replied. “Because what’s different is what makes them tick. It’s very hard to be able to say, ‘I can take this part away and I will still get the same stuff from him.’ I don’t do that.”

In the film, which was released on Friday, Leto’s Morbius becomes strong once he finds a cure for his illness, but it has the side effect of turning him into a vampire. The film has been savaged by the critics and the journalist told Espinosa he didn’t believe the final cut was what the filmmaker turned into the studio.

“These movies are big ideas,” he vaguely replied. “I think that I work at my best if I get a lot of decision power. But, in these movies, they’re big movies that have a lot of people’s interest.”

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