If there happened to be a general consensus regarding who holds the title of "most annoying
living method actor," chances are Jared Leto would be unanimously voted as victor.
“You have a gift, I’m telling you.”
“Oh, stop. Stop. You’re going to make me…you’re going to make me cry.”
The actor became particularly well-known for his ultra-immersive antics while filming 2016's
"Suicide Squad," which included gifting co-star Margot Robbie
a live rat and doling out used condoms as a cast-wide wrap present. According to Leto,
these gestures were merely a symbol of how deeply committed he was to portraying the sick,
twisted persona of the Joker — a practice that proved unnecessarily
grandiose considering how limited the villain's role ultimately ended up being in the film.
Leto's manic obsession with "getting in character" didn't develop overnight, though. While he
appeared in a slew of critically and commercially successful films during his early acting
career — from "Fight Club" to "American Psycho"— it was his role in Darren Aronofsky's 2000 film
"Requiem for a Dream" that really saw the actor push himself to his mental and physical limits,
resulting in a long-term ailment that Leto found incredibly hard to shake.
For those who are a bit rusty on the plot points of Aronofsky's edgy and upsetting psychological
drama, let's recap "Requiem for a Dream." Based on the 1978 novel of the same name by
Hubert Selby Jr. — who co-wrote the screenplay — the film follows a group of drug addicts as they
become increasingly dependent on heroin, leaving their previous ambitions in the rear-view window.
Leto plays the principal character, Harry Goldfarb, a recent college graduate from
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn who sells heroin with his friend Tyrone and girlfriend Marion.
"We’re on our way, baby. We are on our way."
They initially start dealing in order to fund their own personal dreams — Harry and Marion
want to open a clothing boutique to show off her clothing designs, while Tyrone wants to
get out of the low-income neighborhood he was raised in. However, it doesn’t take them long to
start dipping into their own stash after their addictions start to cloud their ambitions. It
subsequently becomes clear that getting high off their own supply won't get them anywhere.
“Well?”
“Ty ain’t found nothin’ yet.”
“What are we gonna do?” This becomes especially
true when a city-wide dope shortage renders their operation
dry — and imminent withdrawal symptoms compound their desperation.
In order to understand the plight of New York heroin addicts, Leto claims to have completely
immersed himself in this way of life, stating that, quote, "every night was an adventure." He
recounts witnessing someone miss the vein in their arm and effectively poison themselves,
as well as realizing that certain participants did not return due to their deaths from overdosing.
But Leto's acceptance into this scene came with a literal price, as he was robbed
once during his exploits in assimilating into the world of New York drug addicts.
In order to play the role of Harry, Leto also felt that he needed to lose a massive amount of weight
to sell his character's experience. It reached a point where the actor
said he felt "addicted to losing weight," a sign of an encroaching eating disorder
and the hell of body dysmorphia that inevitably comes along for the ride.
Though excessive weight loss and gain are no strangers to the world of method acting,
the difference between bodily discipline and dysmorphia is an incredibly fine line,
if not one that's entirely blurred. This is totally supported by the fact that Leto
claims he kept looking in the mirror but didn't "see himself" as being thin enough,
an incredibly common — and self-destructive — symptom of developing an eating disorder.
Thankfully, as the filming of "Requiem for a Dream" concluded, so did Leto's
commitment to weight loss. Clearly suffering from disordered eating and unhealthy thoughts
concerning his weight, the actor decided to check himself into a recovery program.
In true Jared Leto fashion, the institution he sought solace in during his recovery process
ended up being a monastery in Portugal. During his tenure there, he finally began re-developing the
relationship to food and eating that he once had — but this process was not quick, nor was it easy.
Speaking to Al Bawaba, Leto recounts one specific meal as having been a major breakthrough: He
successfully ate half of one single taco, which he considered an "incredibly large meal" at the time.
"This is pretty big!"
Having previously only nourished himself with raw vegetables,
this fully-cooked meal felt like an incredible feat to devour.
Others in Leto's life even noticed how significant this attempt at feasting was, with one person
directly applauding Leto by commenting on "how much food" the actor had just eaten.
While people are quick to clown on Jared Leto, his experience losing weight on "Requiem for a
Dream" is a perfect example of just how easily body image issues can transform into full-blown
eating disorders which require rigorous treatment and personal self-reflection.
In recognizing the reality of Leto's struggle with food, we might be able to kick the appeal
of dangerously intense method acting once and for all. Pet rats everywhere, rejoice!
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available.
Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline
at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).