Jared Leto is kindly offering to go to his hotel room to fetch that now-famous green Gucci military coat he wore to the Suicide Squad premiere. “A piece of art like that should be universally shared.” I politely refuse his generosity when I really should have accepted.
The Oscar-winning rock star is decidedly casual today, in a grey t-shirt and frayed ripped black jeans. His hair is slicked back and tidy, a stark contrast to the flowing biblical locks he sported when winning his first Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club.
His hypnotic eyes are dazzlingly intense in person, and those youthful features contradict his 49 years—apparently, a result of a vegan diet and sleep.
Boasting reserved humor, the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman is polite but seems a little uncomfortable. He shouldn’t be; following a quiet 2020, like the whole of the rest of the world, right? Leto is straight back into full throttle mode now 2021 is here.
The Little Things has already rejected the notion that box office movies can’t break even during a pandemic. At the same time, House of Gucci later in the year looks to be a sumptuous biographical crime thriller, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Lady Gaga, Al Pacino and Adam Driver.
And even while the original Justice League fell on deaf ears, bringing the Joker across from the Suicide Squad project. Indeed, pundits call his portrayal the best thing about the movie, one of the significant revisions with Zach back at the controls, having had to bail on the much-troubled first movie back in 2017. This reprisal, coming at the cost of $70 million, is an expensive adventure, but one that in creative and cinematic terms appears capable of completing the circle.
Talking me through life and love, Leto, who previously dated Cameron Diaz for three years, reflects on his method approach and why he was glad to put premature Hollywood retirement on hold.
STRIPLV: Just when we thought Justice League was done, it’s back! How does it make you feel? LETO: You get that call and hear those words. It’s utter unadulterated excitement, then pressure and wavering fear. It came in waves and riptides. There was unfinished business from the first Justice League and almost an appetite to see how things might have worked out differently, and that’s the result now – that’s what we have. I can’t believe the amount of effort that’s gone into getting this thing going again, but I think it’s the right thing to do. STRIPLV: And it’s brought you into the fold, after all, with a character you genuinely love and adore. LETO: That’s true. He is so entirely fun, challenging, but really fun and playful because that’s who Joker is; he wants to play, he laughs a lot, and he’s always making himself laugh. His laughter generally comes from a dark place, but laughter is laughter. It’s light. And he’s likes to entertain. He’s the ultimate entertainer. He’s fun to be around. He creates electricity wherever he goes. That was fun to me. To put on a show, to demand the spotlight. That’s who the Joker is, and while it’s coming from a damaged, dark place, there’s an entertainment value that’s wild and charged and really lurid. He has no restrictions. There are no rules. You could never make a mistake because there are no mistakes. His truth is his reality. So you get to completely let loose and break through every barrier that society erects, and that’s an honor. STRIPLV: It’s like being a kid again? LETO: You know what I mean. When you’re a kid, there are no rules. If you want to do something, you do it. If you want to say something, you say it. It’s only as you grow up, you learn what is acceptable and what is expected of you, so to revert to that simple, boundaryless part of your life and doing it in this environment is remarkable.
STRIPLV: Have you ever been daunted by those who’d gone on before you? LETO: Yes. (Laughs) Those were some of the best performances ever committed to screen by true legends; Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, legends. Legendary portrayals. Inspiring. What Jack brought was so very complimentary to Cesar, Heath the same of Jack’s performance. I had so much admiration even before I had any involvement. The advantage we had was in respect for what had come before. We had to go in a completely different direction. We had to take the Joker on a new path. Imitation was not an option. And with that came liberty and freedom to move and say what we wanted. Yes, there was 75 years of material, which I only discovered in doing my own research. Seventy-five years created by visual, creative artists for television, film, and animation, to constantly fall back on if we ever needed it, but I relied more on my imagination. I still think I could retire altogether after playing him. It remains one of my greatest achievements. STRIPLV: Bigger than your Oscar win? LETO: I said, “One of my greatest achievements.” I’m lucky in that I’ve had a couple. STRIPLV: Most would consider an Oscar win their crowning glory. LETO: I’m very proud of that moment. Very proud. But I think getting accolades and praise, it only means something if the people you love are involved, and that meant the world to me. STRIPLV: Once again, you go method for this role. Some would say that’s a little extreme. LETO: For me, it’s nothing more than a way to concentrate. When you shoot a movie, there are so many distractions, so much happening, a lot of moving parts, and staying in character is the only way I can maintain that tunnel vision. Keep my focus on the end destination and committed. I really like to envelope myself as much as possible in this new life and go deep as I can because the further you go, the bigger the reward. Also, I want to be able to get to a certain emotional state, and for me, it’s easier to stay there than continuously work my way back. STRIPLV: Does it even go so far as you think you’re that character? LETO: I never lose touch with my own reality. If I did that, I think I may be potentially in the wrong career. It could be dangerous. STRIPLV: It’s a shame Margot isn’t with you on this one. You both had such an explosive dynamic on screen. LETO: True. I was just so overcome by how free and willing she was to go fucking crazy and genuinely raised the bar of everyone around her. I think we’d only scratched the surface of what she’s fully capable of - I hope we can repeat the process because it was a joy. STRIPLV: After the Oscar, it’s hard to believe you were considering walking away from acting altogether. LETO: I didn’t consider it. STRIPLV: Sorry, I read somewhere saying you did. LETO: Well, you’re not totally wrong. There was a point where I thought, if I didn’t go back, I never would. I had a two-year spell where my agents kept sending scripts. And then, they just started to believe that I was serious. And they stopped coming. And you fall out of favor, maybe. But then I fell in love with Rayon [from Dallas Buyers], and I knew that if I didn’t play her, there was a chance I might never go back to acting and never make another film. My life was very fulfilled and wasn’t lacking. At that time, when away, I learned a lot about myself, about life, about humanity. It revolutionized my mind and the way I interacted with myself, with others. STRIPLV: Lastly, are you still stopped on the street for My So-Called Life? LETO: (Laughs) Yes, it does happen. STRIPLV: Over years ago and only one season - crazy that people are still talking about it. LETO: Yeah, it’s pretty remarkable. It impacted a lot of people. It was ahead of its time. And I’ll always be grateful for the launch pad. Without it, I probably wouldn’t be sitting with you today.