Jared Leto’s new lead role is singing
As Thirty Seconds to Mars tours, the actor contemplates his future
Jared Leto approaches music like an MMA fighter. “I beat the living (expletive) out of songs,” says the singer, whose fifth album with rock trio Thirty Seconds to Mars, America, is out Friday. “I want them to be great, and for some reason I equate working on them longer with them being better, which seems to be the case.”
Leto, 46, brings that level of commitment to everything he does, whether that means losing 30 pounds for his Oscar-winning role as an HIV-positive trans prostitute in Dallas Buyers Club, or going Method to play the psychotic Joker in supervillain team-up Suicide Squad. At the moment, his focus is squarely on his band, which is in the midst of a whirlwind European tour before starting a North American jaunt this summer.
He recently called USA TODAY from the road for a wide-ranging chat about the new album, politics and why he could quit acting.
Question: You’ve typically taken four to five years between the release of each Thirty Seconds to Mars album. How do you decide when it’s time to put out new music?
Leto: Well, there’s that old cliché: You never really finish an album, you just abandon it. In this case, we had booked this massive tour around the world and that became the de facto deadline. I worked on the album for about five years with my brother (drummer Shannon Leto), and you know, art isn’t polite — it just takes the time that it takes.
Q: What were some of the driving emotions that inspired you as you were writing America?
Leto: Fear. Failure. Hope. Dreams. Love. Writing an album over the course of five years, you experience all kinds of different things.
Q: In terms of politics and what’s happening in our country right now, is there something that angers or scares you most?
Leto: Intolerance is at the top of the list. I would also say that the good news about what’s happening is that there’s an entire generation of young people who are politically active and entering into a discussion about some pretty big questions: “Who are we? What kind of country do we want to live in?” It’s an incredibly tumultuous and important time.
Q: You embrace more elements of rap, gospel and dance music on this album, with collaborators such as A$AP Rocky and Zedd. Is that emblematic of what you’ve been listening to recently?
Leto: Every song has its own demands. Walk on Water, it seemed thematically, wanted a certain scope and sense of emotion, so that’s why the gospel ended up in that song. We’ve been exploring electronic music from our very first album, so this isn’t something new for us. But we break some rules as well for ourselves and tread upon new ground, which is exciting.
Q: As someone who was raised on bands like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, how do you feel about the current state of rock?
Leto: Rock has always been an attitude, and it doesn’t have to mean drums, bass and guitar. I think there’s probably more rock in a lot of hip-hop than you’ll find in (most) bands. Rock ’n’ roll isn’t dead, but there’s a metamorphosis happening.
Q: Last year at the VMAs, you paid tribute to (the late Linkin Park singer) Chester Bennington. What do you remember about touring with him?
Leto: I remember (the band’s) kindness, generosity and a hell of a tour. Chester was a really kind, gentle person who wore his heart on his sleeve and I really enjoyed my time with him.
Q: Your world tour is scheduled through this fall. How long will it be until you return to film?
Leto: I’m not sure exactly. I wish I could give a better answer, but I don’t know.
Q: Could you ever see yourself retiring from either music or acting?
Leto: 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.
Q: You said last year that you were “confused” about all the Joker movies being discussed. Would you still be open to returning to the character?
Leto: Sure, absolutely. I’d definitely be open to that.