Jared Leto was once rumored to be Lupita Nyong’o’s boyfriend. Get to know some interesting facts about the actor and musician.
Jared Leto: actor, director, musician
Jared Leto can do many things. He has accomplished a lot as an actor, a director, and a musician. Leto also has a pretty unique personality. He’s known for being crazy and fearless when it comes to his work in movies and music. Leto is not afraid to dress differently or to transform himself.
Early life
Jared Joseph Leto was born in Bossier City, Louisiana on December 26, 1971. He has an older brother named Shannon who is also the drummer of his band, 30 Seconds to Mars. He grew up with his mother and his stepfather. He used the surname of his stepfather – Leto. Leto attended Emerson Preparatory School, a private school in Washington, DC. After graduating, he went to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Leto eventually transferred to the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan to pursue his interest in film.
Acting career in the 1990s
Jared Leto moved to Los Angeles in 1992. His original plan was not to primarily become an actor. He wanted to become a director while taking on minor acting roles. Leto found his breakthrough role in the series “My So-Called Life” in 1994. He played the role of Jordan Catalano, the love interest of the main character portrayed by Claire Danes. “My So-Called Life” aired for only one season, but it received mostly positive reviews. Leto continued to appear in more television shows and movies. Leto made his film debut in 1995. However, his first major film was “Prefontaine” which came out in 1997. Leto also appeared in iconic films like “Fight Club” and “Girl, Interrupted” which were both released in 1999. When “Fight Club” is mentioned, people would probably think of Brad Pitt or Edward Norton. But Leto was also part of that film. He played the role of Angel Face, a man who gets recruited into Fight Club.
From “Requiem for a Dream” to “Suicide Squad”
In 2000, Jared Leto became part of two other iconic films – “American Psycho” and “Requiem for a Dream”. Leto appeared alongside Christian Bale in “American Psycho”. He played the role of Paul Allen, Patrick Bateman’s (Christian Bale) coworker. The film gained notoriety for its disturbing themes, but it also received positive reviews. “Requiem for a Dream” is perhaps one of Leto’s best-known films. He played the role of a drug-dependent young man. Just like “American Psycho”, “Requiem for a Dream” had a dark and disturbing theme. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Leto continued to direct and act in films. He also worked on documentaries such as “TT3D: Closer to the Edge” and “Artifact” – a film about the lawsuit their band faced in the past. Leto returned to the big screen in 2013 with “Dallas Buyers Club”. He played the role of Rayon – an HIV-positive transgender woman. Leto underwent a huge transformation to prepare for this role. He lost a huge amount of weight and waxed all his body hair. Leto won an Academy Award for his role in “Dallas Buyers Club”. In 2016, Leto was chosen for the role of the Joker in “Suicide Squad”. His portrayal of the deranged villain received mixed reviews. Leto is slated to reprise his role as the Joker in upcoming sequels.
Music and 30 Seconds to Mars
Jared Leto may have appeared in several successful movies like “Fight Club”, “American Psycho”, and “Suicide Squad”, but it did not stop him from pursuing his other interest – music. In 1998, Jared and Shannon Leto started the band 30 Seconds to Mars. Their musical style is a mix of alternative rock and metal. They are also known for their unique concepts for music videos. The band achieved a Guinness World Record for having over 300 concerts in just a span of two years. 30 Seconds to Mars has released four studio albums: “30 Seconds to Mars” in 2002, “A Beautiful Lie” in 2005, “This Is War” in 2009, and “Love, Lust, Faith, and Dreams” in 2013.
Relationships
Although he’s already in his mid-40’s, Jared Leto is not and has never been married. However, he has had numerous relationships with many different celebrities. Leto has dated actress Cameron Diaz. He was the actress’ boyfriend from 1999-2003 and was even briefly engaged to her. He has also dated other actresses including Kristi McDaniel and Scarlett Johansson. Leto also had a relationship with model Katharina Damm and socialite Paris Hilton. He was also rumored to have either dated or hooked up with a bunch of other celebrities including Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Olsen, Emilia Clarke, and Lupita Nyong’o.
Lupita Nyong’o’s rumored boyfriend?
In the 2015 SAG Awards, Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong’o presented an award together. Their chemistry was definitely hard to deny – and it definitely caught the attention of the media. Rumors of a romantic relationship intensified after Leto and Nyong’o were spotted side by side at the SAG Awards after-party and the Oscars after-party. Photos of the rumored couple circulated on the internet, and almost everyone agreed that they would make a beautiful couple. In one of his acceptance speeches, Leto even mentioned, “My future ex-wife — Lupita, I’m thinking of you”. Both Leto and Nyong’o are Academy Award winners.
Net worth
Jared Leto has had a colorful career since the early 1990’s so you could probably say that he has established his net worth at an impressive level. Thanks to his work in both movies and music, he continues to earn many assets. Currently, Leto’s net worth is at $40 million.
Interesting facts about Jared Leto
We’ve told you about his acting career, net worth, and music career. Want to know more? Whether you’re a new fan of Jared Leto or you’re just curious about him, read on to discover some interesting facts about the “American Psycho” and “Suicide Squad” actor.
Leto is a method actor
Jared Leto doesn’t just play characters – he becomes them. Leto takes his roles very seriously. He’s not afraid to take extreme measures to portray a character well. Leto is known to use interesting and sometimes bizarre techniques to transform himself into a particular character. In the movie “Requiem for a Dream” in 2000, Leto played the role of a drug addict named Harry Goldfarb. To really get in his character, Leto starved himself for months and decided to live in the streets of Brooklyn. But that wasn’t the most drastic thing that he did to prepare for a movie. Leto portrayed the role of Mark Chapman, John Lennon’s killer, in the movie entitled “Chapter 27”. He gained a whopping 62 pounds to prepare for that role. And it was not easy at all. Leto went as far as eating melted ice cream combined with soy sauce and olive oil in order to put on massive weight. Obviously, it compromised the actor’s health. Leto developed gout and a high cholesterol level. But still, the actor considers that experience to be a memorable one. More recently, Leto put his method-acting skills to the test to prepare for the movie “Dallas Buyers Club”, where he played the role of a transgender woman with AIDS. He had no qualms about waxing his entire body – including his eyebrows. He lost a drastic amount of weight to prepare for the role, even before filming for “Dallas Buyers Club” started. Leto also stayed in character throughout the filming. He wore makeup and dressed like a woman. Leto met up with real-life transgender people to gain more knowledge about his character. During the filming of “Suicide Squad”, it was no surprise that Leto was reported to have stayed in character all the time. Playing the role of the Joker, Leto apparently pulled some extreme and bizarre pranks on his co-stars – like sending a live rat to Margot Robbie.
Leto was a former teen star
Before playing unique characters on the big screen and becoming a rock star, Jared Leto was actually known as a teen star. His first major role was in the teen drama series “My So-Called Life” which aired from 1994 to 1995. Leto appeared alongside Claire Danes. He played the role of rebellious high school student Jordan Catalano. Leto did not only act in “My So-Called Life” but he also helped in making music for the show’s soundtrack.
Leto is a man of many names
Ever heard of Bartholomew Cubbins and Angakok Panipaq? Well, those are Jared Leto’s other names. As an actor, Leto uses his real name. But as a director, he uses the names of his alter ego – Bartholomew “Bart” Cubbins. Leto chose that name because it was his favorite Dr. Seuss character. He has also used the name Angakok Panipaq when he directed the music video for “A Beautiful Lie” – a song by his band 30 Seconds to Mars.
Leto hates the word “fan”
You’ll never really hear Jared Leto talking about his “fans”. It’s because he doesn’t think it’s the right word to use. To him, his followers and admirers are more than just fans. Leto considers them as family. He refers to his band’s supporters as the Echelon. Here’s another fun fact – did you know that Leto was once trampled by the Echelon? This happened during a concert in 2007. Leto suffered a few injuries including a broken nose. But this did not discourage the 30 Seconds to Mars frontman from performing daring acts on stage. In fact, Leto regularly stage-dives during shows.
Leto was rumored to be Lupita Nyong’o’s boyfriend
A few years ago, Jared Leto and fellow Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o were rumored to be an item. This was because many people noticed their undeniable chemistry when they appeared together in an awards show. Leto and Nyong’o were also spotted together on multiple occasions. However, Nyong’o clarified that she and Leto were never in a romantic relationship.
Recent work
Jared Leto recently appeared in the film “Blade Runner 2049” alongside Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. In 2018, viewers can watch the actor in the crime film “The Outsider” which will be released on Netflix. Leto is currently on tour with his band, 30 Seconds to Mars. They are expected to release a new album soon. If you want to stay updated, then head over to Jared Leto’s social media accounts. The actor and rockstar regularly posts photos on Instagram. Leto is known for being quirky on Instagram as well as Twitter.
