14 DAY TRIAL // Jared Leto is officially one of the hardest working and most dedicated actors in the industry right now. He’s currently shooting “Dallas Buyers Club,” a role for which he’s basically starving himself.
To offer a glimpse into his transformation to fans, the (eyebrow-less, emaciated) actor teamed up with photographer Terry Richardson for a photoshoot very similar to the one he did for “Chapter 27.”
Fans will remember that, for that particular movie, Jared piled on so many pounds he was barely recognizable.
The same applies now: with a jawbone so sharp he could cut glass with and almost every bone in his body jutting out, it’s clear that Leto is really pushing himself for this part.
Knowing that he plays an HIV-positive transsexual woman helps with understanding why he’s doing that.
Speaking with Vulture just recently, the actor (who also doubles as a successful rocker with his band 30 Seconds to Mars) confessed he’d been starving himself for the role.
“I didn't get involved in the project until a few weeks ago, three and a half weeks ago,” he said, adding that he’d been fasting to get a womanly shape and that sickly look necessary for the part.
It’s no walk in the park, he underlined.
“Your body goes through weird stages. Sometimes it's hard to hold on to water. But for me, it's not about the most weight I can lose, it's more to represent the character. I'm focused on [that],” Leto added.
At the same time, he pointed out that, done properly and for shorter spells, fasting can have benefits.
“Historically, people have done it for pursuit of self, to achieve a meditative state, so I'm hoping for that, and not the other things. It's not necessarily a bad thing,” he explained.
More photos from the Terry Richardson shoot are available on his official website.