Jared Leto, in full Jared Joseph Leto, (born December 26, 1971, Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S.), American actor and musician who won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club (2013). He cofounded and led the popular alternative rock band 30 Seconds to Mars.
Jared Leto—at least not when it comes to bringing his characters to life on screen. The shape-shifting Los Angeles actor shed over 25 pounds to assume the role of a heroin addict in 2000’s “Requiem for a Dream.” Seven years later, he packed on weight to play John Lennon’s murderer in “Chapter 27.” For 2021’s “House of Gucci,” his prosthetic-enhanced Paolo Gucci transformation was so convincing that Al Pacino didn’t recognize his co-star.
Off camera, however, Mr. Leto looks unchanged, almost as fresh-faced at 50 as he was when fans first met him as Jordan Catalano in ’90s TV show “My So-Called Life.” Though he scoffs at the idea of a beauty routine, this October Mr. Leto—an avid investor who was keen to add co-founder to his résumé—launched Twenty-nine Palms, a lifestyle brand that offers products including shower and skin-care essentials, and is named for a town near California’s Joshua Tree National Park, where he often rock climbs.
Recently, the multitasking Method actor also wrapped a new album with his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, dyed his hair Pepto-pink and revealed he’ll be producing and starring in a biopic about the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld. A bona fide fashion darling, Mr. Leto has long been something of a muse to Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci since 2015 who recently announced his departure from the Italian brand. Mr. Leto, whose flowing locks lend him an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Michele, was absent from the latest Gucci show, which featured 68 sets of twins. When asked why he didn’t appear on the runway alongside his doppelgänger, Mr. Leto quipped: “How can you miss me if I never go away?”
Here, he shares his love of hats, heinous socks and holiday songs.
My childhood heroes were: David Bowie and Andy Warhol. I went through all kinds of phases as a kid but I don’t think of [my style] as eccentric. I just like what I like.
I don’t get hung up on: fashion. For me, there’s not a lot at stake. I have many other things in my life to stress about and I let the fashion stuff be frivolous, fun and free. I don’t mind a beautiful disaster every so often.
I always wear: a straw hat. And I always will. I’m outdoors a lot, so if I’m hiking or near the water, it just works. Worth & Worth makes an interesting version but I’ll also take a $5 hat from 7-Eleven.
I’m a proponent of: sleep. I bring the same pillow with me when I travel. That helps a lot.
My favorite gift to give and receive is: socks. You’ve got to get a pair of socks or it’s not the holidays. The more atrocious they are the better. At the top of my holiday playlist is: “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra .