Jared Leto: Transgender characters are usually only treated as comic relief
I’m going to keep saying this over and over because I think it’s worth noting: Jared Leto is running an absolutely brilliant Oscar campaign. We all knew that Matthew McConaughey would be getting a lot of Oscar buzz for Dallas Buyers Club, but once the film started making the film festival rounds and critics got a look at Jared’s transgender character Rayon, the majority of the Oscar buzz began focusing on Jared. Michael Fassbender isn’t “campaigning” this year, but Jared is and it’s looking more and more like Jared might snatch that Oscar.
Anyway, Jared gave yet another respectful, insightful, humble and extensive interview, this time to HIV Plus Magazine. You can read the full piece here – I’m including some highlights below. Note how beautifully he speaks about HIV/AIDS, transgender issues, and what’s really important to him (hint: not an Oscar, which is the best way to get an Oscar).
On watching as his first Los Angeles roommate died of AIDS complications:
Actually, when I first moved to L.A., I had a roommate in his 40s who was dying of AIDS, and I watched week after week as he withered away, sores started to appear on his body, as he got skin cancer. I remember walking to the grocery store with him or to get lunch, and he would get a bunch of vegetables and put them in a blender in an attempt to stay healthy. He was wonderful and charming and funny and had a lot grace in such a challenging moment. So that left a big impact on me. My first agent, actually, also passed away, died of AIDS. So yeah, it was a death sentence at the time. I do remember it very clearly.
On audiences’ positive reaction to the film:
It’s absolutely incredible to hear that the film connects so deeply with people who have a very, very personal connection to this story, people who have had their own challenges or lost loved ones. I mean, that’s an absolutely mind-blowing thing to hear. And as we’ve done the screenings, people sometimes stand up and they don’t even feel compelled to ask a question, they just want to share a little bit about their experience. I think that’s the power of film. Film can change us. It can either show us a side of life we’ve never seen before or remind us of where we’ve come from, and that’s a really beautiful thing when it happens in that way.
On the responsibility of bringing a transgender character to the screen:
When I read this script I thought here was an opportunity to bring to life a real person. I think, typically, this type of role is usually only treated as comedic relief, you don’t get to know a real person there. I’ve had my own experiences that I think led me to see this role as someone who wanted to live their life as a woman—as a transgender person, not as a drag queen, as a transvestite, or someone who just enjoys putting on women’s clothing. And I think it was a key distinction to make early on in the process. I think another actor may have looked at it, seen it, and saw a different character, but, you know, when I was on the road touring, about six months before the film, before I read the script, I had an interesting experience and met some transgender people on the road, and it left a mark. We had really interesting interactions and conversation, and you know, that was a really important thing to have happened, to really inform, I think, my process quite a bit.
On the impact the film may have on educating audiences about HIV:
Well, I think it’s a great conversation to have. Certainly, a film isn’t going to solve things out there, but it’s a great conversation to put into the culture, and this is an interesting film because it talks about a story that is close to so many of us, that really hasn’t been told before. So I think it shines a light both for the people that were there and for the people that weren’t, and that’s a really good thing.
Oscar winner Jared Leto. Say it with me. Oscar-winner Jared Leto and his successful rock band, Thirty Seconds To Mars. Oscar-winner Jared Leto tipped as Hollywood’s newest go-to leading man. Oscar-winner Jared Leto hosts fundraiser for transgender kids. I’m not even joking! This has been one of the most pleasant surprises of my gossip career – I had written off Jared as a try-hard wannabe, a rocker douchebag who lived for stunts and hedonism. I had no idea that he had this much… depth and heart. F—k it, give him the Oscar!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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