In a recent interview with Deadline, Jared Leto reflected on his performance as family outcast Paolo Gucci in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci and his love for going all in for every role. Leto was instantly drawn to the tragic black sheep of the Gucci family following his first read through of the script.
“I could relate to Paolo’s desire to be taken seriously as an artist, his desire to be heard, his desire to create something special and share it with the world,” says Leto. In fact, Leto told Scott when he signed on for the film that he was “going to go completely crazy here.”
“I’m interested in taking big swings and I want to be in that place where absolute total failure is knocking on the door. That’s an exciting place to be and I hope to continue to remind myself to be as brave and as bold as I can be,” the Oscar winning actor told Deadline.
Leto has taken “big swings” before for roles, most notably for his Oscar winning performance as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club where he underwent extreme weight loss. He also completed similar transformations in Requiem for a Dream and Chapter 27.
Scott gave Leto the freedom to build his character and improvise in his scenes. Apparently not phased, Scott “laughed and gave me permission to run the asylum for a bit…and when we showed up on set Paolo was there.”
Leto also praised the acclaimed director for his multi-camera style: “You’re able to do simple things like overlap in conversation, and they can use mistakes or happy accidents.”
His performance as Gucci earned him a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2022 Screen Actor Guild Awards. But some critics think different, even some calling it “parodic.”
Leto doesn’t seem to mind the reviews as he pays no attention to critics and comments in regards to his art. “I had a blast playing it, I dug in as deep as I could.”
Leto’s next project, Sony’s comic-book adaptation Morbius, will hit theaters this April.
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