Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Jared Leto

Episode Date: February 7, 2021

Jared Leto is known for his fully-immersive transformations in movies, including Dallas Buyers Club, Suicide Squad and his latest film, The Little Things, which just earned him a Golden Globe nomination. In this week’s "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist talks to the actor about working on that movie alongside one of his heroes, Denzel Washington, and his other career as a rock star in the band 30 Seconds to Mars.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down podcast. My thanks, as always, for clicking and listening along. Very excited about this week's guest. He is Oscar winner Jared Leto, one of the most fascinating guys in Hollywood. He's starring in a new film called The Little Things, co-stars with a pair of other Oscar winners, Denzel Washington and Rami Malik. So he plays a guy called Albert Sparma, who is creepy to say the least. the question for the two detectives, Denzel and Rami Malik, is he also a serial killer? Creepy maybe doesn't begin to explain what kind of guy he is. You'll hear Jared talk about the character.

So it's a thriller. He's a handyman, Albert Sparma. If I can paint a visual picture, he's got long, greasy hair. Jared had prosthetics for his teeth and his eyes and his nose. And he just kind of lurks. And he's just kind of weird. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's a serious. serial killer. So that's sort of the core of this story. He, by the way, was nominated just this week for a Golden Globe Award for that performance in The Little Things, just as the movie even begins to come out. So lots to talk about with Jared Leto, including his career also as a rock star. 30 seconds to Mars is the band he started with his older brother Shannon. So he lives on these dual tracks. He's a movie star for a while, then he'll pause and do some music and do some touring, then go back to the movies. In fact, he took a six-year break, just as his movie career was taking off to focus on the music and then got back into the movies with Dallas Buyers Club, the role that earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Lots and lots to talk to him about, including where he was when the world shut down last March. He didn't know it had shut down. Let's just put it that way. I'll let him

explain. Time to enjoy. Academy Award winner Jared Leto, right now on the Sunday, Sunday Sit Down Podcast. Good to see you. Thanks for doing this. My absolute pleasure. Thanks for having me. I was just telling you a second ago, I finished the movie about 30 minutes ago. So it's still racing through my mind.

And as I said to you as well, not many people have the experience of walking outside of theater and staring in the eyes immediately afterward, this guy is going to back off, my screen here. It's so good. Boy, what a... Want to get some tacos? Oh, no! Is that still in the movie?

Yes, it is. For some reason, I kept on saying that, and, like, I think three or four different scenes, I would just look at one of the guys and be like, well, we couldn't get tacos. Yes, and it's the way you say it, so casually. We can go back home, maybe we'll get some tacos. Well, it's an amazing performance. It really is. I hesitate to ask you what drew you to the character because it's so obvious.

It's such a rich and textured character, and it's a great, writer and director and you're obviously starring with a couple of other incredible actors. But what was it specifically about Albert that you saw and said, I need to do this? Well, I mean, yeah, there's a lot there to be attracted to. I mean, working with Denzel Washington, who's one of my heroes. And I'm happy to talk about him, Adam Panitam, hit Rami Malik, who I just think is fantastic, John, John Lee. but honestly what we

this pharma that's on the screen now was definitely not on the page it was it was about you know going on a journey to discover and explore possibilities to fail a bunch and to try to wrangle

something together that I hadn't done before I mean I said to John Lee initially it was kind of thinking I don't know this is the right thing for me but I thought that if I could if I could use it as an opportunity an excuse to see how far that I could transform to see how far I could push myself to a new place then then it could be really worthwhile and I just I mean the group of people was so it's so really really rare that you get a group like this, I just had to be a part of it. And the character is obviously an outsider, suffice it to say. He's sort of on the margins of society, which seems to be a

theme with some of the characters you pick. Is it fair to say you like someone who is open to that kind of interpretation, who you can shape a little bit? Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think it's interesting to explore people that are, you know, seemingly different. People. that like Sparma is someone who never really quite fits in to society. And I don't think he understands why, you know, just from the name itself, you know, he's somebody different. I could imagine what it was like, you know, being in fifth grade and having the name Albert Sparma and how other people may have treated him. He sees the world in a different way.

He has a really kind of unique sense of humor. And a lot of that stuff was we kind of dug up. We kind of discovered those things. But it was a total transformation. I had brown eyes, different nose, different teeth. I had some other prosthetics. I had a different way of walking and carrying myself and a different voice, which was really kind of key to the character.

Yeah, no, it's you, clearly, but it's some sort of morphed version of Jared Leto, who's just physically, I mean. And I wonder, when you talk to a director like that and you say, here's what I think his backstory is or here's how I think he looks, do you find a director to be receptive to the actor, bringing that to the production?

Yeah, he was, you know, the DNA of something really compelling was in the script, but it was a long way off from, where we ended up. And John Lee Hancock was incredibly, you know, open and gracious and generous and excited that, you know, some maniac wanted to kind of dig in and push things pretty far. And I was really appreciative of that. And it's not always like that where you have someone who's absolute faith and what you're doing.

And of course, during that process, as I was sending him like voice notes, to hear kind of what this guy sounded like. In photos of wigs, he must have been a little nervous at some point because I think there was at one point I looked like Annie from the musical. I had this curly red-haired wig, maybe even freckles. I don't know. And with those teeth, it looked like Annie's, you know, really messed up older brother or something.

And he nixed that one, huh? We nixed that, but I held onto it for quite some. I put up a fight, but John was good because he was also the voice of reason, which we need as actors at times, you know, at times. So anyway, it was a great collaboration and, you know, I think we made a really good team. You're famous for getting completely lost in your characters, and by all accounts you did it again this time on set during the shoot, that you just stay in your character. Why is that so important to you? And how far do you take it? Are you always in character quite literally over this extent of a shoot? Well, you know, it's difficult to talk about this

sometimes because, and I will talk about it. I'm not, I'm not dodging the question, but, you know, there's such a, like, method has become such a dirty word. Right. When I think it was originally described, it was originally used to describe Stanislavski students and maybe the actor studio folks, you know, a certain kind of acting approach. But, you know, everyone has their own method as far as I see. You know, sometimes people's method is to show up on set and to be loud and joke and laugh and that helps them get comfortable and that's great. What I like to do is to just stay as focused and committed as possible. You know, I feel like that's my, my job is to do whatever I can do to show up and

contribute something meaningful for Denzel, for Rami, for John Lee, for Mark Johnson, for the studio, for the crew, for everyone. And also, it's my job to be like a pleasure to work with, to not be a pain in the ass, to be generous and kind to all involved. So that to me is as important as the other stuff. And, you know, we had a great time on this set, although it was very focused and committed. Denzel and I made a decision,

kind of an unspoken decision, to kind of stay in our corners. And I think that was a really smart one, because whenever we had time together, when the camera's rolling, it was electric. Yeah. And so, yeah, I stayed, you know, in my lane. And I think the film was, you know, what was great about it is you could feel this sense of faith

and of, you know, you know, generosity from Rami and from Denzel and John Lee. And then from me to them, there was a really, there was a lot of mutual respect going on. And I just thought it was a really great, although sometimes dark, because of the material, but a really great atmosphere on set. You talk about the thrill of working with one of your heroes, Denzel Washington, but you've also said you actually never quite met Mr. Washington, as you call him, because you were in your character.

Does it feel that way that you'd like to now go have dinner with them and actually eat them? I don't know if I'm there yet. I don't know if I'm like, you know, someone said, were you guys shooting dice in between takes? I was like, definitely not. Definitely wasn't shooting dice. But, no, I have, I just, it's impossible for me to have more. respect than I do for Denzel Washington, Mr. Washington.

You know, he just happens to be one of my favorites. His career is just absolutely, you know, mind-blowing. The fact that he's made so many films and had so much consistency, and he gives so much with every role, it doesn't even matter if the film doesn't work, he always works. and, you know, from the voice, he's a guy that just from the tip of the toes at the top of the head, he's just absolutely completely immerses himself. And he's a force to be reckoned with.

And that was incredibly exciting. I was happy to get in the ring and give it my best. And, you know, we all felt like there was just an opportunity here. And I think we all took full advantage of it. I've talked to other actors about this when they get to a point where they're acting in a movie, or across from one of their heroes, somebody they grew up watching, somebody who, when they were young,

lived on some different plane, and then all of a sudden you're in a scene and expected to hang in with them. Is there any feeling of nervousness or intimidation about acting across from someone like Denzel Washington? Oh, yeah, absolutely. It's great, but it's exciting, too.

It's that feeling right when the roller coaster is right about to go over the top. You know, I remember the first time I threw out an ad lib and a scene with Mr. Washington. It was, you know, it was intense. And he responded in a way that was so surprising. And so, you know, only a master would really kind of take that and run with it in the way that he did. And I knew from that moment that it was going to be something quite special. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast.

Stick around to hear more from Jared Leto right after the break. Welcome back to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Now more of my conversation with Jared Leto. Well, you guys, obviously you finished shooting this before the COVID lockdown, right, of a year ago. Right? Yeah, I think it was November, 12. No, November 19. Right, right.

And so now there's this amazing story where you go into this two-week retreat. And when you come out the other end of it, the world has effectively shut down. What was that like to step into a world that had completely changed in the two weeks since you left it? I mean, it was a while, once in a lifetime experience. I'll tell you that. I hope so. Yeah. It just so happened that, you know, it's a massive.

amazing how quickly things changed in just a couple of weeks because when I went in, there were 150 cases in the U.S. and when I came out, there was a shutdown. And, you know, people working from home and there was a state of emergency or whatever was declared. So it was a little bit like being Rip Van Winkle or something, you know, you wake up to some kind of brave new world. Yeah, a wild one. and you know yeah I remember driving back to LA and just you know knowing that something was like

oh things that gotten like they brought us into like the big meditation hall at a certain like the last day and said hey by the way this has been happening because you don't we didn't have any access to news and and there was no speaking no contact with the outside world and but we didn't I don't think anyone understood how bad it was. I was the only person that actually went to the teacher there and said, hey, do you guys think that we should, like, because we still had, like, you know, a day left. And I was like, do you guys think we should go home now?

It seems like maybe we want to take care of, you know, business, family, employees, whatever. They're like, well, that's your decision. Do you want to finish it or not, you know? And they were like, well, how important is, you know, you know, commitment or a complete, I was like, you know, you want to be the guy that bounces early. He's already put in, you know, that time. So you're like, all right, I'm going to finish. And I didn't turn my phone on.

Had I turned my phone, I probably would have just left immediately. But as in, and I remember I didn't turn it on until I went back to L.A. because, you know, I was just kind of enjoying that, having not having had a phone for a couple weeks. And then when I got home, they just, you know, turn on the phone and nobody was at the office. It was pretty wild. Had people been looking for you? I mean, I suspect some people were like, hey. I made a call and I said, where's everybody?

Because I'm at the office. I came straight into the office. Where is everybody? And they're like, we're all working from home. And I was like, what? This is crazy. Oh, my God. And then, you know, yeah, pretty wild.

It's like the plot of a movie. It's crazy. So we could never have imagined at that time this was going to go on for a year. How have you been passing the time? It's a guy who likes to be active and likes to be working, whether it's in film or music or any kind of art. How have you been sort of managing this time? Well, I am used to traveling around a lot. I'm used to touring and being in a different city or country every day or two.

And that's kind of the norm for me. but this has been, you know, all considering quite a nice change. For me personally, it's been a gift to not to be in one place. I don't think I've stayed in one place like this since I was a little kid, and even then we moved around a lot, you know, but this is having a routine has been quite nice. And, you know, I had an opportunity to get really productive with music, and wrote maybe 100 songs and, you know, really, I feel like in a way that I gained a year

in my life. And, you know, my mother is, you know, I've been watching her process, you know, is well being a little bit older. And, you know, just acutely aware, I guess, is a, of how it can be a lot more challenging for other people out there and how lucky that I have been to be in the position I'm at where my work I can do, you know, from home, my creative work as well and that I have the ability to kind of ride out the storm, you know, a pretty fortunate way. A hundred songs. Does that mean, Jared, we're getting a new album here pretty soon? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. You know, we, I have, I'm ready. to put songs out anytime you just people have to ask.

But yeah, it's nice to be ahead of the curve with that. I generally take like four or five years to make an album, which is, you know, because I'm just so slow. You're busy too, in fairness. Yeah, yeah, I guess that might have something to do with it. But, you know, when other people are going on vacation and, you know, they're done with a tour, I'll just go and make a film and vice versa. Go back on tour, which is great.

So yeah, big music year for 30 seconds to Mars coming up, I think. And I hope the world gets back to, you know, a place where we can, you know, go out and tour again. And, you know, I think about all the people that have lost their jobs at venues, both big and small. And how important music is to people out there, you know, it's really for a lot of people, going to live shows is such an, or sport going to events and things like that. So I'm excited for the world to kind of return and to be able to help, you know, you know, stand on the stage around the world and, you know, give people a little break from, from the madness.

How do you balance that in your own mind, Jared, these two art forms that you're so good at, which is music on the one hand and acting on the other? Do you have plans in your mind of, okay, I'm going to make an album. I'm in music mode. So I'm going to wait a couple of years on a movie. or I can't imagine for most people, one of those would be all consuming. How do you sort through that with your band and how do you sort through that with the choices you make as an actor? Well, you just, you can't care too much about a social life.

That's one thing. At least a very large one has to be pretty limited. You cancel all lunches and dinners for the rest of your life. And you stay focused on the things that you love. I think I'm pretty good at kind of, you know, putting my attention directly on the task at hand that's right in front of me. And I do bounce, you know, a day when I'm working on music and another day when I'm doing things like this and another, you know, the time that I'm spending, preparing for a film or developing something. But I think I'm pretty good with the time management and I love to work really hard that I just have. passionate about this stuff that I do and I don't mind putting in long hours and lots of time.

And you're not afraid to just sort of stop and commit to one. You famously took that six-year break, I think it was in 2006, from acting as your career was going like this, which a lot of people said, wait a minute, what's he doing? He's here. Keep going. You said, actually, I'm going to focus on music. Was that as you look back on it? Was that a strange decision as you reflect on it or are you glad you made it?

it. Yeah, it's probably a pretty strange decision. People knew the reality of what the gamble was there. It's a pretty strange one. I remember, you know, this story has been told quite a bit, but I remember I, you know, turned down a Clint Eastwood movie to go and make $250 a night on tour. And that's, I think that's when Hollywood knew, like, oh, this guy's lost his mind. You know, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, He's just off as rocker. But, you know, we committed. And, yeah, there was a long, there were periods where I didn't make films. And one of those periods was about six years.

And, you know, but the impossible happened. You know, my brother and I share 30 seconds of Mars. And we worked for many, many, many, many years. And toured, we really dug in the live aspect of it and the touring aspect. And, you know, we woke up one day and we're playing arenas and stadium. and headlining festivals all over the world and like this impossible dream came true

and when that happened there wasn't really like that you know eager to run away from that and go back to films I was quite content quite busy and excited about what was happening so you know

sometimes I could be challenging to figure out okay where do we spend time right now where do I spend time right now. But I, especially the older I get, I had just have an immense amount of gratitude for both and the ability to have to explore music and films. It's just, you know, I'm very fortunate. You've talked about this, so I know you know it, but some people roll their eyes at the idea of an actor with a vanity project or whatever.

There have been other actors who have tried music, and I know you're conscious of that. Does that mean you have to sort of work that much harder to prove that they, the music is real and the music is good and that you are in fact committed to it in the way you have been. I think that story has been told, honestly, for us, I don't think about it for a single second. But in the beginning, and especially at that time, no one would sign us. We couldn't get a record deal for years. and the point of contention was always like, oh, he has this other career,

even though I started music first. You know, he had this other career. But what's wild now is no one really gives a flying, you know, whatever about it in my case or in anybody else's case. Like you can be a TikTok star and have a hit song. You can start his social media and become, you know, a movie star. You can, you know, be someone, who's found on YouTube singing and become one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

Yeah. I think that's how Justin Bieber was discovered, I think. So, and you can be a young actor on a TV show and then up being a musician or a musician, and you do a performance. So I think that's great. And, you know, people should be able to explore things without preconceived notions determining or gatekeeper saying, you know what? I don't think that person should be allowed to do that. I mean, it's kind of a ridiculous proposition anyway. And, you know, people miss out on, you know, great talent and, you know, surprises. But, you know, I guess for my brother and I, you know, one of the things that

has been incredible is we spent so much time and so many. places around the world. And like, you know, we really dug in as a band and toured in ways that, you know, even most artists won't do or don't want to do or just can't find the time to do. Like, you know, we don't just go play Paris. We'll play 20 different cities in France. We don't just play, you know, Berlin or Cologne or Cologne. And we'll play 27 different markets in Germany. So it's become a really wild experience, and we're super, super proud of it and, you know, acutely aware of how lucky we are. It's, I love hearing you talk about your brother, knowing your story where it was basically the two of you and your mom as kids moving all over the place, trying to find a gig. I mean, your mom has been described as a hippie in a flattering way.

Do you guys stop and go sometimes, oh, my God, I can't believe. what were our lives have taken us given where we started? Hold on. Hold on. You got me, Willie. You got me. You know my grandfather's name was Willie. Really?

Yeah. That's a rare one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Willie. Willie. God damn it, Willie. So he was a Louisiana guy? He was a Louisiana.

He was a military guy. and then my mom, I guess, grew up in so many different places because he was in the Air Force. And then we had this kind of agabond existence. And now my brother and I have this kind of agamond life because of the music. So I guess we were prepared for it. But it's great to share it with my brother. He's the one that started music first. And, you know, it's always been just.

just an amazingly creative, talented person. So, yeah, really, really cool to have, you know, it's like a family project, like a pizzeria. A pizzeria that sells out stadiums across Europe and the United States. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, well, you've been generous with your time. I did want to ask you about coming back into the acting world with Dallas Buyers Club and immediately winning an Oscar.

So clearly you didn't miss a step by doing music for six years. And again, standing on the stage at the Oscars and talking about your mom in a full circle moment. What was that moment like? And then what did that statue in your hand mean to your career and your life? Well, first of all, I never, ever, ever thought that I would win an Oscar or any awards, really. it wasn't something that I thought about and you know it was just

you know completely off my radar like you said I hadn't made a film in you know six years and I wasn't really I didn't know if I would return to acting I mean I really

you know I wasn't so sure that I would ever make a film again you know things you know like I said the music exploded in a way that we never dreamed and we were quite content and busy and fulfilled but this script came along and you know some magic happened and uh you know i stood on that stage and you know the wonderful thing about getting awards is you're not the only person that gets it when you get an award it's your family it's your friends it's your team, it's the supporters all over the world that have believed in you. So it's this, it's this

energy. It's a light that shines on you. And, you know, I thought, what was really great was to be able to stand on the stage and take that light and shine it back on some other things that have been meaningful or some things that were on my mind and some people that I care about, like my mother and my brother and Robin Baum, who I forgot to thank at the Oscars. You just got her in now, seven years later. Hey, Willie, I mean, this is, this is, look,

get thanked at the Academy Awards. Robin Baum get thanks on Willie's show. You know, I don't know. She actually chose us to be on this show, ironically. That's right. That's right. That's right. So, no, it's a great moment to be able to take the light. I was just talking to someone. I said something that would have been a

Venezuela and the Ukraine when I was on stage as well. And that's only because we tour so much that I was aware of these things and the struggles that were going on in other places. And because we talked to, you know, fans and we hear from people via social or we had a concert just a few days after the Oscars in Ukraine. And there was a revolution happening there. You know, when we showed up there. They told us not to go. Like the State Department actually suggested we not go there, but you know, there were burning, buildings burning when we showed up there. So that was on my mind. Venezuela was on my mind. But I meet people over the world now that, hey, I'm from Venezuela. Hey, I'm from, you know, this place of that. But it's nice to be able to take the light and

shine it back on other things. And I was happy that I was able to do that. And has there been any progress in the search for the physical Oscar at this point, or have we written it off? You know, I just hope whoever has it is, appreciates it. And maybe they can shine that light on something that they like. But it's fun. I was in my kitchen for a long time and people would come over and I would put it in their hand, you know. Oh, can I touch it? You know, yeah, yeah, put it in your hand.

and I would turn on my camera on the video and say, okay, what's your speech of people? You know, everyone freezes up, you know, and then they try to give their mock speech, which is really fun. I think on Oscar, it's not so easy. No, and I even had a moment on, and I had some practice, you know, standing on stages. But I remember at one moment I was giving a speech and it just, you all just and I looked down

and I'm like there's Oprah and De Niro and all these people like looking at me and I was like oh my brain just literally melted and then I climbed back out you got back nicely though by going back to mom that's where you

want to go. Always go to mom that's it that's it well Jared thanks so much congratulations on this film it's incredible your performance and I really enjoyed talking to you. Thanks. Thanks, man. My pleasure. I'll see you, Willa. Take care, brother. My big thanks again to Jared for a great conversation. You can catch his new movie, The Little Things, in theaters and streaming now on HBO Max. And my thanks, as always, to all of you

for tuning in. If you want to hear more of our conversations with my guests every week, be sure to click subscribe so you never miss an episode. And of course, don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down podcast.