Jared Leto photographed by Terry Richardson
On whether he cares
much about Hollywood accolades: ‘I don’t. But I would never say, “I don’t
give a sh*t about the Oscars,” because it’s not the whole truth. It’s not about
the shiny, naked golden man, or the pat on the back, it’s about being able to
stand on a world stage for two minutes in front of a billion people and say
something that is meaningful, important to you.’
On losing a lot of
weight for Dallas Buyers Club: ‘I have very strong self-control. There is
something very seductive about it,’ he admits when we discuss his crash,
three-stone weight loss for Rayon, during which the slight actor virtually
stopped eating. (He used to go to the supermarket just to stare at the food.)
‘I got to understand the mentality of an eating disorder. There are the highs
of losing more weight; there’s a rush of endorphins associated with that
control. When you have made a severe commitment to losing weight, there is a
lot of shame and guilt around eating again. I really suffered that, it’s not a
nice feeling...’ But Leto found solace in self-exploration. ‘The process can be
very monk-like — there is a history of people who have fasted to achieve
enlightenment. There is something in that, getting to know who you are. It
changed me.’