14 DAY TRIAL // As Nirvana fans from all over the world remembered the life and work of Kurt Cobain, who, 17 years ago, killed himself, Jared Leto, actor and frontman of 30 Seconds to Mars, was releasing his own tribute to the tragic rocker.
On the anniversary of Kurt’s death, Leto uploaded on his official blog a video of himself dressed as Cobain, performing two of the band’s best known songs.
As an explanation for the tribute, Leto said that he recorded the footage when he considered auditioning for the part of the rocker in a biopic.
He saw the anniversary as the best occasion to show it to the world, since he never sent the tape in.
“I heard today (April 5) was the day Kurt passed away 17 years ago. Can’t believe it’s been that long. So grateful for his contribution and inspiration. Not sure I’d be doing this if it weren’t for him,” Leto wrote.
“I shot a short piece of film when I heard they were making a film celebrating his life. I made it to explore the character and explore creative possibilities,” Leto added.
“I never sent it to the studio or to anyone but thought I’d share it now,” he said.
While many fans saw his tribute as very touching and well done (Leto does Cobain to perfection, down to the way he sings and holds his guitar), others were not too happy about it.
Most of these accused him of being a poser and a douche who rode on Kurt’s coattails to get attention, and they had no qualms about saying so on a public forum, Stuff reports.
Entertainment Weekly seems to side with them: while the tribute is brilliantly executed, it fails short in that it takes attention from Kurt and diverts it onto Jared, in what was clearly a very selfish attempt from Leto.
“The video itself is well made, but really, it’s more about how great Leto would be in a movie about Cobain than about remembering an icon’s death. It puts the spotlight on Leto, which makes the whole thing feel creepier than it actually is,” EW says.
Below is the video of Jared Leto as Kurt Cobain for the “eerie” tribute. You be the judge.