Jared Leto was hesitant about following in Ledger's Joker legacy

Los Angeles: Jared Leto is aware that Heath Ledget cast a long shadow with his depiction of Joker but the actor is confident that his interpretation of the comic villain will be different in 'Suicide Squad'.

Ledger's iconic performance in 'The Dark Knight' won him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Leto, 44, says he loved Ledger's take on the infamous character.

"Heath did an impeccable, perfect performance as the Joker," the actor told Rolling Stone magazine.

"It's one of the best performances ever in cinema. I had met Heath before. I didn't know him well, but he was a beautiful person."

Leto, who graces the cover of the magazine for its August 11 issue, says he was hesitant about following in Ledger's legacy but then accepted the role as Joker has had a long past in cinema with Jack Nicholson portraying the role in 1989's 'Batman'.

"I think had it only been portrayed by Heath and it was never a comic book, maybe I would have felt that would be inappropriate. But I thought that given the history, it was OK. The good thing about other people having done this is that you know what direction not to head in."