Depending on who you ask, Jared Leto is either a generational acting and musical talent or an over-indulgent egotist— but in all reality, Jared Leto might be the only person who believes the former.
Strip away all the nonsense, and it's hard to argue that Leto hasn't left his imprint on pop culture. His recent turn as the Joker in Suicide Squad helped re-establish Leto as a controversial method actor with unique visions for his characters. The problem is, however, only Leto seemed to like his Joker.
From the earliest moments of his burgeoning career, Leto's public persona bears telling signs that point to his entire existence being some kind of long-standing performative art piece or, perhaps, practical joke. But not even Leto seems to know when to deliver the punchline.
Keep scrolling for 20 things about Jared Leto's career that make no sense.
20 The Joker
When Jared Leto was cast as the Joker, just about the only person who got totally stoked for the idea was Jared Leto. The rest of the world, meanwhile, steeled themselves for another over-acted, over-conceptualized stinker of a film from DC. And what was the result? An over-acted, over-conceptualized stinker of a film, all with a Joker that was, if anything, boring.
19 Joaquin's Joker
Of course, it must have been pretty rough on Jared Leto to have to follow hot on the heels of Heath Ledger's genre-defying turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight. But Leto seemed to relish the opportunity. Unfortunately, he now seems to think that because Heath is gone, he now has the rights to the Joker personally, and was pretty irked when Joaquin Phoenix took on the role in the recent Todd Phillips film.
18 Fight Club
But how exactly did Jared Leto get to the point in his mind where he thinks his career has earned him the right to play the Joker forever and always? One of his earliest roles was in 1999's Fight Club, a gritty, grimy psychological thriller starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. But even though Leto's role in the film was crucial to the plotline, there wasn't much acting involved.
17 Requiem For A Dream
The year 2000 came and went without a Y2K bug infecting every computer across the globe, but sadly for most cinephiles, Jared Leto had begun to infect Hollywood. For the turn of the century, Leto lost a ton of weight and lived on the street to prep for his role in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, which may have been the high point of Leto's entire career.
16 Paul Allen In American Psycho
The year 2000 also included another future cult hit, American Psycho. In the film, Christian Bale plays Patrick Bateman, the man who made every viewer jealous when he axed Jared Leto's Paul Allen to bits while dancing to "Hip to Be Square" by Huey Lewis and the News. The part was perfect for Leto, given that he was just supposed to be annoying.
15 30 Seconds To Mars
Next, Jared Leto decided that his massive talents couldn't be contained to the silver screen, so he started a rock band called 30 Seconds to Mars. But the fact that anyone listens— or ever listened— to the group remains a conundrum for anyone who loves music. The Guardian described a 30 Seconds to Mars show as "so one-note that distinguishing between tracks is difficult. The drums rapidly build, over and over again, and songs feel more like chants, from the U2-style City of Angels to the U2-style Kings and Queens."
14 Leto Dated Cameron Diaz
Leto's next career move was a classic one that followed in the footsteps of any star who recognized their own dubious talent: he dated up the ladder. In this case, Leto got hitched to Cameron Diaz, who was fresh off hits like The Mask and There's Something About Mary. The two split in 2003, presumably when Diaz realized she could do much, much better.
13 Lord Of War
In 2005, Lord of War featured Nicolas Cage and Jared Leto as two Ukrainian-American brothers who get into the international arms trade. This must have been one of the easiest roles for Leto to play, given that he mostly sticks to being whiny and downright pathetic. And throughout it all, he gets out-acted by Nic Cage. Great work.
12 Dallas Buyers Club
The peak of Jared Leto's career, without a doubt, came with the release of Dallas Buyers Club in 2013. The film had been in development since at least 1990, though the eventual casting of Matthew McConaughey and Leto proved fortuitous: both earned Academy Awards for their roles. But both also gave highly questionable acceptance speeches for their Oscars.
11 That Acceptance Speech
Dallas Buyers Club hit theaters six years ago, though the world has changed massively in those six years— especially Hollywood. These days, it would be enough of a controversy to cast Leto, a cisgender male, in a transgender role that seemed to stereotype trans people as sex workers and drug addicts. But Leto's acceptance speech would probably have caused a riot, since he blatantly neglected to thank the trans community while taking home one of the acting world's greatest honors.
10 Lived In A Portuguese Monastery
Some of the more surreal moments in the Jared Leto saga have come recently (the above image of Leto carrying a fake of his own head down the carpet at the Met Gala certainly stands out). But the guy is known for being purposefully, almost aggressively different. He even spent time in a Portuguese monastery to gain weight after Requiem for a Dream.
9 Bartholomew Cubbins
One of the oddest instances of Jared Leto being, well, odd spanned nearly a decade. Apparently, he had been directing music videos under the moniker Bartholomew Cubbins, a name cribbed from a Dr. Seuss character. But Leto famously insulted one of the very vids he'd directed by saying it was helmed by an "insanely obnoxious Danish albino."
8 "Method Acting"
Jared Leto maintains the appearance of being a method actor, a school or technique made famous by the likes of Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, Christian Bale, and Daniel Day-Lewis. But while Day-Lewis famously kept in character as the benevolent Abraham Lincoln, or where Christian Bale kept an American accent while interviewing for the Dark Knight trilogy, Leto sent his Suicide Squad cast mates disgusting items, including a pig carcass.
7 "The Echelon"
Of course, since Jared Leto thinks he's approximately the most talented method actor and musician on the planet, it's not enough to call the people who agree his fans. Instead, Leto refers to his followers (and they themselves, therefore, do, as well) as "The Echelon," and has posted on social media pictures of himself dressed up like Jesus with the caption "Yes, this is a cult."
6 Alexander The Mediocre
Unfortunately, for a guy who clearly realizes his own messianic complex, it must grate on Jared Leto's nerves when he remembers that he's never cast as the star of the show. Case in point was Requiem for a Dream, Dallas Buyers Club, Fight Club, and even the monumental flop Alexander, in which Leto plays Alexander's friend Hephaestion.
5 High Fashion
Leto has attempted to project himself as something of a fashion icon— when he's not directly engaging in idolatry and comparing himself to a messiah. But his decisions meld typical cult-leader attire with a bit of Burning Man inspiration and, of course, some 1990s shades, typically paired with a flat-brimmed hat. Suffice it to say, hipsters have nothing on the hipness of Jared Leto.
4 He Sang Rihanna At A Concert
For a man who seems to think he's some kind of radical genius, Leto's music sure hasn't attracted much positive attention. The Guardian's quotes about U2-ripoff sounds notwithstanding, Leto also recently spent plenty of time in Europe gallivanting around singing Rihanna's "Stay" at his 30 Seconds to Mars concerts. "Stay" is one of Vin Diesel's favorite karaoke songs; how original.
3 More Political Than You
Jared Leto definitely comes off as someone who thinks their ability to regurgitate whatever current, culturally relevant idea serves to make them a genius. His most recent attempt at feeling like he's ahead of the crowd came in the form of 30 Seconds to Mars' 2018 album "America." He then created a ridiculous documentary entitled A Day in the Life of America to show how politically woke he is.
2 He Was The Worst Part of Blade Runner 2049
Leto, somehow, despite all his shenanigans and attempts to seem like an indie artist, manages to get cast in some pretty big pictures. One of the more recent was Blade Runner 2049, from director Denis Villeneuve. While the movie may have been slammed for its slow pace, the only true flaw in this monumental masterpiece was Jared Leto's portrayal of Niander Wallace.
1 Terrence Malick Thought He Was Fine, Though
Say what you will about Jared Leto, but he's managed to create quite a career for himself. The question remains, however, whether he'll keep being able to fool people (and himself) into thinking he's the radical genius he acts like. But at least he got the likes of Terrence Malick on board when he was cast in The Thin Red Line. Then again, Malick's spate of mostly-nauseating voice over narration seems right up Leto's alley.
Sources: The Guardian, Billboard, IMDb
