Viola Davis details Jared Leto's dead pig present sent to 'Suicide Squad' cast

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Viola Davis detailed Jared Leto's surprise dead animal gifts he gave to the cast of Suicide Squad and how they affected her performance.

"The Joker, he did some bad things Jared Leto did," Davis said of her co-star recently to Vanity Fair.

"He gave some really horrific gifts. He had a henchman who would come into the rehearsal room, and the henchman came in with a dead pig and plopped it on the table, and then he walked out. And that was our introduction into Jared Leto," she continued.

While initially disgusted, the actress admitted to the publication that the gifts actually helped inspire her performance as ruthless government agent, Amanda Waller.

"Now I'm terrified as a person thinking 'Is he crazy?' but the second part was 'Oh [expletive]! I got to have my stuff together.' You talk about commitment and then he sends Margot Robbie a black rat. It was still alive in a box. She screamed, and then she kept it," Davis said mentioning Leto's personal gift to Robbie who portray's the Joker's right hand lady Harley Quinn in the film.

Leto's presents were delivered while the actor stayed in character as the clown prince of crime during the entire production of Suicide Squad, immersing himself so much into the role that he did not get to know the other actors.

"I've never actually met Jared Leto," Will Smith who portrays mercenary Deadshot in the film said to Zane Lowe on Beats 1 back in October. "Worked together for six months and we've never exchanged a word outside of 'Action!' and 'Cut!' I literally have not met him yet. So, the first time I see him will be, 'Hey, Jared. What's up?' He was all in on the Joker."

Directed by David Ayer, the villain focused Suicide Squad opens in theaters Aug. 5.