Actor Jared Leto has built a nice and well-rounded filmography for himself over the years. But after leaving Hollywood behind for a while, Leto began questioning his own acting abilities.
Jared Leto became an actor in order to direct movies
Leto has always been fascinated with making art in some capacity. The actor expressed himself through paintings during his younger years, which was a hobby he thought would lead to a career. So much so he attended a visual arts school to further pursue his goal. But during his third year at a program in New York City, the Fight Club star translated his passion over to photography and filmmaking.
Soon, Leto dropped out of his school “because I thought I would have a better chance at directing a film if I got a job as an actor first,” he once told James Franco on Interview Magazine. “So that’s one of the reasons why I headed west with a backpack and a couple hundred bucks in my pocket. I went to California and ended up sleeping on the beach in Venice, and that was really the beginning for me.”
Leto would later be able to make a more than comfortable living off of acting entirely by becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Jared Leto stopped acting after feeling like he wasn’t a good enough actor
Apart from being one of Hollywood’s most celebrated performers, he’s also made a living being a rock star as well. The Suicide Squad alum has been the singer for the popular band 30 Seconds to Mars. The band has enjoyed immense success, selling millions of records worldwide.
But when his band was at the height of its success, Leto’s acting career was no longer given top priority.
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“I think, all told, it was almost five years between films, and during that period, I had a lot of time to think about things,” he said. “I was incredibly busy with 30 Seconds to Mars. We’d had more success with the band than I’d ever dreamed was possible—we were playing arenas all over the world. It was an incredibly exciting time for the music and still is. I mean, I’m in an arena in Portugal right now, about to play for 19,000 people.”
During his hiatus from Hollywood, Leto began to wonder what he was bringing to the table as an actor. But the hiatus also helped encourage him.
“So we were pursuing things with the band for many years, and I think, in the downtime away from movies, I did start to question what I had to offer as an actor. I don’t think that I considered myself to be a very good actor or to have much to offer during that time. But the five years away from film made me not only a better person, but a better actor. It gave me more confidence,” Leto said.
Jared Leto feels it would be easier to retire from acting than music
Leto returned to acting in a big way. He reemerged in films like the critically acclaimed Dallas Buyer’s Club, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2014. Since then, he’s continued to add to his film resume with movies like Blade Runner 2049 and The Outsider. But despite the resurgence he’s experienced in his acting career, he still would have an easier time letting it go. At least compared to his music.
“I think at some point I could walk away. It’d be much easier to walk away from film than music. Music is very personal — my brother and I have shared this journey and this dream for almost our entire lives. We’re playing the biggest and most ambitious tour of our lives. On stage last night, in front of 15,000 people, I remember looking over at my brother just in awe of the experience. It’s an absolute dream,” Leto once told USA Today.
