Not Just Aamir Khan, Suicide Squad Star Jared Leto Takes The Method Acting Route For Every Role

If you ask any rational movie buff to pick one Khan on the basis of acting and performance, he/she will blurt the name Aamir Khan without even batting an eyelash. The only reason being his passion for the craft. Haven¡¯t we all ooh-ed and aah-ed over his stringent methods for prepping for a role? Be it his eccentric hair-cut for Ghajini or his extreme body transformation for Dangal, his dedication to attain perfection has an endearing quality to it.

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Cut to Hollywood, there¡¯s an actor who isn¡¯t celebrated enough. Jared Leto is an exceptional actor who somehow doesn¡¯t get the limelight as that of a mainstream A-league performer. Nothing less than a visionary, Leto has seldom given a bad performance in his entire career.

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Regardless of the length of his role, he has delivered his hundred percent. He recently made headlines for his unrecognizable look in the House Of Gucci trailer, in which he plays former Gucci vice-president Paolo Gucci.

A true visionary of our time. It's time we celebrate his craft and acknowledge his phenomenal work. Scroll!

Dallas Buyers Club

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He became a household name with this movie. He portrayed an HIV-positive drug addict named Rayon in the film. Starring opposite Matthew McConaughey, both the men bagged Oscars for their phenomenal acting. To prepare for this role, Leto lost around 40lb, shaved off his eyebrows and waxed himself from head to toe for the shoot.

Not just this, Leto ensured that he stayed in character for the entire 25-day shoot, and only spoke to people as his character so that he didn't "lose" her.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2014, Leto said, "I lost around 40lb and then I stopped counting.For me, it was about how it made me feel, how it made other people treat me. I got down to something like 114lb, and that was enough to do what I wanted it to do, which was to change everything about me."

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In another interview with critic Roger Ebert, he spoke about his decision to use method acting: "I lived in that character throughout the course of shooting. It was really important to do that. It isn't the kind of thing where the director yells, 'Action,' and then all the minutia, the accouterments, the mannerisms, the behavior, all of that all comes back. I couldn't afford to let go for fear that I would lose that.¡±

Chapter 27

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Leto took a complete three sixty-degree turn and did the exact opposite of what he did for Dallas Buyers Club when he took on the role of Mark David Chapman in Chapter 27.

The actor gained almost 70lbs in order to look like the assassin who killed John Lennon, for the 2007 flick.

In order to gain the necessary extra weight, Leto stuffed his face with pizzas, burgers and also drank microwaved chocolate twice a day.

While speaking with The Guardian in 2014, he reflected on the same and admitted that it was a "stupid thing to do."

He said: "I got gout, and my cholesterol went up so fast in such a short time that my doctors wanted to put me on Lipitor, which is for much, much older people¡±.

Suicide Squad

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To play the role of the maniacal joker, Jared Leto did not have to go through a massive physical transformation but he did change psychologically.

He stayed in character for the entire duration of the shoot and therefore his castmates bore the brunt of his Method ways. Leto sent Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn a love letter in a box with a live black rat; Will Smith received an envelope full of bullets. Viola Davis said that Leto sent a henchman to drop a dead hog off to his castmates, and by Leto's own admission he sent "everyone" used condoms and anal beads.

"I did a lot of things to create a dynamic, to create an element of surprise, of spontaneity, and to really break down any kind of walls that may be there. The Joker is somebody who doesn't really respect things like personal space or boundaries," he told E!.

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You would think that after pulling such bold pranks, he would be exceptionally pally with his castmates but much to everyone¡¯s dismay it was far from that. Leto was so in character as The Joker that he never once detached from his role, even after the cameras were off. Will Smith revealed that despite working with Leto for almost six months they never exchanged a single word.

House Of Gucci

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To play the role of Paolo Gucci, Leto underwent a complete transformation including a bald cap and prosthetics.

Unlike his other physically challenging roles, Leto did not gain weight for the part of Gucci, and instead wore a fat suit during the production.

Going by the first-look trailer, Leto looks almost unrecognizable but whether he remained in character throughout the shoot like he's done in the past remains unknown.

This movie revolves around the tumultuous marriage of Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci. Reggiani played by Lady Gaga hired a hitman to kill her ex-husband on 27 March 1995, and in 1998 she was imprisoned for 29 years for the assassination.

House of Gucci will most likely release on November 24, 2021 worldwide.

Fight Club

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Proving that there's no look he can't pull off, Leto went fully blonde for his part as Angel Face in Fight Club. Joining the likes of Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the underground fight rings, a brutal tussle with the Narrator leaves his face disfigured.

Requiem For A Dream

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To prepare for his harrowing performance as a heroin addict Harry Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream, Leto lost 28 pounds by following a rigid diet. It was after this film that he became known for his method acting skills. To prep for the role, he also slept on the streets of New York City for periods of time to better understand his character. As per a rumour, Leto who was dating actress Cameron Diaz at the time, gave up sex for two months.

Once the shoot concluded, to gain back the weight he'd lost playing Harry, Leto allegedly shaved his head and ate fish he'd caught on the beach in Portugal.

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Talking about it to The Independent, he had said, "I was in a constant state of hunger. I started fainting when I was on the set." Health troubles ensued: "My bone marrow dropped 400 points. My liver fucked up. I was miserable. It was a painful, dark place, but it was rewarding. I don't know if you've ever fasted, but there were a couple of moments towards the end where I had hallucinations. I'd look up at the sky, and I'd get a feeling of complete serenity."

The Little Things

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This is Leto's most recent outing and it¡¯s no less. Starring alongside Denzel Washington and Rami Malek among others, Jared plays a man suspected of being a serial killer. The minute he enters the frame, there¡¯s an eeriness and disturbing air around him, thanks to his terrifying look. Long greasy hair and stone cold expressions makes for a very uncomfortable watch. It almost feels like his character never blinks.

Which one of his roles impressed you the most? Tell us in the comments section below.