Jared Leto Wants To Face Life’s Challenges Like Dallas Buyers Club Rayon Character

When it comes to overcoming hardships and adversities, Jared Leto wants to take a page from his “Dallas Buyers Club” character, Rayon, a transgender woman battling HIV.

The 42-year-old actor, who took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor on Sunday night, spoke to Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush and Kit Hoover about the role that many are saying could also win him an Oscar.

“She’s a real person, she’s this living, breathing, beautiful creature and I’m really grateful that I had the chance to get to know her,” the actor/singer said of his character.

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Jared explained that he worked to push past the physical elements of portraying a woman.

“You’re playing a character that’s so far removed from parts of yourself that you normally inhabit. It’s wild, even putting on lipstick is a very shocking thing, [and] putting on heels is a very shocking thing, putting on tights is a shocking thing,” he said. “It’s all very, very explosive in a way, but then you have to take all that stuff and make sure it doesn’t get in the way.”

And Jared hopes that if needed, he could possess the same courage displayed by his character.

“Rayon was beautiful inside and I hope that if I was ever faced with the enormous challenges and the brutal circumstances that she was faced with, that I would have the grace and the levity and the kindness that she did,” he explained.

Jared’s first return to acting since 2009 doesn’t mean that he’s taking a break from his band, 30 Seconds To Mars.

“We are back on the road in two weeks,” he told Access. “We’re going on the road in Mexico, end of January, February we’re in Europe, March we’re back in South Africa, South America, we’re doing a lot of touring this year.”

And if Jared was forced to pick between music or movies?

“I would probably just walk away into the wilderness and grow this beard a little bit longer,” he said with a smile.

— Jesse Spero