Subham Mandal
Jared Leto has always been in the news for his strange backstage antics. Even after much debate, he is widely considered a prominent method actor. While the Suicide Squad actor’s take on method acting is quite debatable, Leto was quick to admit that he feels obsessive-compulsive with the movies he is in. During a roundtable with several other notable faces from the industry, Jared Leto talked about his feelings about his roles.
It was in the 2013 edition of The Hollywood Reporter’s actors roundtable when they assembled 6 notable actors from the industry- Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Josh Brolin, and Michael B. Jordan. The actors talked about different facets of acting and their varied experiences in the field.
Jared Leto can’t get over bad roles
Reinvention is a major element in the career of any actor. Every actor tries to do something new every time so that they don’t get repetitive and stale with time. The actors responded differently when this topic was raised in The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Roundtable. While Jake Gyllenhaal gave the credit to “Bills”, Josh Brolin stated that it is out of “fear” that an actor re-creates himself in every movie.
When it came to Jared Leto admitted that it gets impossible for him to let go even if there is a single scene where he didn’t give his best.
“I get a terminal dissatisfaction on films. If I was bad in one scene, it’s impossible to let go. And it can make or break my day. If I drank, I would probably drink a lot.”
The 51-year-old actor has been a prominent face in the industry for a long time. The actor has been a part of numerous iconic films as well as side roles in his movie career. The Academy Award winner portrayed some of the best performances in projects like Dallas Buyers Club, American Psycho, Fight Club, and Requiem for a Dream.
Although there has been a lot of debate around it, Jared Leto is widely considered a “method actor” for his backstage antics. While the fans have their points for or against the notion, the Morbius lead has a different opinion altogether.
Is Jared Leto a method actor?
Despite innumerable media stories headlining Jared Leto as a method actor, not everyone agrees with that. A large section of the audience argues that method acting is an art and doesn’t imply the extremities touched by the Joker actor. It was reported that the actor gifted a series of strange items like s*x toys and animal carcasses to his Suicide Squad co-stars. To prepare for his role in Requiem for a Dream, Leto stayed on the streets.
In an interview with Variety, Jared Leto said that he doesn’t like himself to be called a “method actor”. According to him, the terms vary for everyone.
“I appreciate the term, I think it’s a little cloudy, the definition. And it, it could also be really pretentious as well. I was thinking of it as my job to show up and do the best work that I can. It’s my job to show up, do whatever I can, to be overprepared. And to deliver. It’s also my job to show up and, you know, be a pleasure to work with. And, and, and, and to be collaborative, and to have a good experience on set.”
A lot of co-stars also spoke about how the Panic Room actor involved himself so much in the roles that nobody could recognize Leto on the set. So it can be said that the topic is quite debatable and subjective. But it can’t be denied that the actor has been seen in some of the most memorable and unique roles in his career of more than three decades.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter / Variety
