How Jared Leto went from being an art-school dropout to playing the Joker in 'Suicide Squad'
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Aug 18, 2017, 13:43 IST
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Born in 1971, Jared Leto grew up a nomad. His family lived in Haiti, a Colorado commune, his grandmother's house, and places in between.
They didn't have much. "My mother crawled out of the muddy banks of the Mississippi with my brother and I in one hand and a fistful of food stamps in the other," Leto joked to Interview Magazine.
There were always instruments around, including guitars, pianos, and bongo drums. Growing up, brothers Shannon and Jared made music with pots and pans.
At age 16, Leto came to a crossroads. "I thought I might be an artist or a painter. Or maybe a drug dealer," Leto says. "But I didn't know which path I would take. It's just fortunate that I chose one over the other."
Leto dropped out of high school, returned, and went on to leave three art schools, where he studied painting and film, before changing paths.
A 21-year-old Leto arrived in Los Angeles with just a backpack and a few hundred bucks in his pocket. He searched for acting jobs, figuring that was the gateway to directing.
After nabbing a handful of roles in made-for-TV movies and short-lived family sitcoms, Leto landed his big break as the mopey and effortlessly cool Jordan Catalano in "My So-Called Life."
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Catalano was the love interest of Claire Danes' leading character, Angela. To this day, Leto reportedly asks reporters that they not ask him questions about the show.
When the show was canceled, Leto's film career ramped up. He wanted to leave behind the teen-heartthrob archetype, so he went after small roles in serious projects, like 1995's "How to Make an American Quilt."
From 1995 to 1999, he appeared in no fewer than 10 movies, including "Fight Club."
In "Fight Club," he was beaten into an oblivion as Angel Face, a handsome and favored club regular. The movie brought him major blockbuster credibility.
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It also marked the beginning of a critical-acclaim streak for the actor. He played a selfish ex-boyfriend in 1999's "Girl, Interrupted."
He got maimed, again, as an arrogant associate in "American Psycho." While Leto was passed up for the lead, he rattled critics in the supporting role.
He auditioned for the role of a disillusioned, heroin-addicted Brooklynite "about 6,000 times," Leto jokes. "'Requiem for a Dream' was an incredibly important film for me."
Meanwhile, Leto's brother, Shannon, moved to California. Reunited on the west coast, they began to play music together again.
In 1998, the pair formed the post-grunge rock band Boiled Hard, later renamed Thirty Seconds to Mars.
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The group's namesake debut album drew modest success, causing the band to keep playing despite Leto's busy filming schedule.
The band's sophomore album, "A Beautiful Lie," rocketed the band to stardom. After recording on four different continents to accommodate Leto, the band reached platinum status in America.
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As Thirty Seconds to Mars hit its stride, Leto shelved his acting career. The premiere of cyberthriller "Mr. Nobody" began a four-year hiatus from Hollywood.
In those years, the band released its most successful album to date, "This Is War," and set a Guinness World Record for "Longest Concert Tour By A Rock Band."
At last, he came across a script that gripped him. "I'd heard about ['Dallas Buyers Club'] before — and I'd even ignored a few emails about it," Leto told Interview. "Eventually, I took a look at it, and I just fell in love with the opportunity and the role."
Leto plays a transgender woman with AIDS who teams up with Matthew McConaughey's character to smuggle medication into the US and supply it to fellow patients.
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In a preliminary Skype call with the director, Leto put on a wig, dress, and lipstick. He slipped into his character, Rayon, and remained in character for the duration of filming.
When director David Ayer finally revealed Leto's Joker look online, fans went berserk. His tattoos, grill, and over-the-top insanity didn't look like any incarnation of the Joker we've seen before.
Once again, Leto committed to method acting. "We worked together for six months and we've never exchanged a word [off-camera] outside of 'Action!' and 'Cut!'" Will Smith told Vanity Fair. "He was all in."
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