David Ayer Explains Suicide Squad's Deep Rehearsal Process and Character Focus

At the Suicide Squad world premiere in NYC, writer/director David Ayer took to the red carpet to [...]

By ComicBook.com Staff

david-ayer-suicide-squad-set
(Photo: Warner Bros.)

At the Suicide Squad world premiere in NYC, writer/director David Ayer took to the red carpet to talk to press. Visibly a bit nervous about seeing his film finally screened with a crowd, Ayer was none-the-less full of smiles, especially when talking about his cast. After a weekend of Press Junket activities, it's clear this cast and crew genuinely enjoy each others' company. A big part of that was the six-week rehearsal process that Ayer instituted before they ever shot a moment of film.

"They all sat very quietly in their chairs and read their scripts in a circle. That's how you rehearse, right?" Ayer joked about his unconventional process. "I think of it as kind of acting boot camp. The same way the military does this really intense environment and situation putting you through a lot of challenges, it brings you together as a team, as a crew. That's what I wanted for them, because they have to play the worst of enemies and the best of friends. They're bad guys that have these good hearts, and they come together to pull off a miracle. My actors had to become best friends as quickly as possible."

That all lead to a very character-driven movie, something also uncommon when it comes to big-budget ensemble action films.

"It's what I do as a director. I love actors, I love performance, I love writing strong roles," Ayer said of the focus. "I feel like in comic book movies sometimes, the actors get lost in the set-pieces of action and they disappear a little bit in the chaos and scope of the film. For me, actors are number one and that's where I want to focus my time."

You can see how Suicide Squad focuses on character when it hits theaters August 5, 2016.

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