Jared Leto has been a major player in Hollywood since
playing Claire Danes‘ dopey love interest in
My So-called Life. Since then he has had small
parts in the controversial, yet well-received movies
Fight Club and American Psycho, in
addition to the lead in the acclaimed Requiem for a
Dream. As a result of this eclectic taste in
movies, fans want to see him more. Playing a major
role in a big budget blockbuster like
Alexander is a step to his well-deserved
A-list stardom. However, it wasn’t always easy.
When we got a chance to sit down and talk with Jared,
he talked about being away from the United States for
so long to film the movie. He mentioned that all the
actors were getting a bit resentful because of missing their
friends, family, and even dogs. He was also just away
from the world: “What’s interesting is when I did
Alexander I turned off my phone, I didn’t watch tv, I
stayed away from pop culture and really embraced
Morocco. You miss an entire section of pop culture
and it’s funny coming back. It’s kinda exciting in a
way to come back and see all these changes; to catch
up.”
Now since he is playing the other half to the
controversial relationship that everyone’s talking
about, it wasn’t possible to leave out Haphaestion and
Alexander’s affiliation. Hephaestion became his most
trusted general, his closest friend, and a fierce
warrior in his own right for Alexander and his
campaign. He was very important to Alexander’s
success.” Jared Leto describes the movie as a “love
story” and although it’s not the central theme of the
movie, it is what drives the characters. Despite all
this hoopla about Haphaeston, he was also important
as a real historical figure. “He was politically and
psychologically a master of behavior. He was
incredibly intuitive about people; he was a great
listener. All of those things made him a great
advisor to Alexander. He knew when and what to say to
Alexander, as close friends do.” In conquering the
world and implementing their idealist fantasy, Leto
notes, “they dreamed together.”
One of my favorite scenes in the movie was the first
fight scene in the desert. Jared Leto recounts what
it was like filming it: “I never realized the sound
that a couple of thousand feet make on the desert
floor. And the chanting, the yelling; It’s
horrifying, it really is. I mean if they were coming
for you and ready to gut you, rape your wife, kill
your children… It’s crazy.” Of filming the action
sequences, he notes, “I’m really surprised, and I’m
totally serious, I’m really surprised that nobody died
on the movie. Everybody got hurt.” During the
interview, Leto mentioned multiple stuntmen breaking
arms, ribs, and the like. The horses and elephants
added even more to the danger.
Oliver Stone being probably the ultimate director he
has worked with and on a movie with the buzz of
Alexander it’s hard to not ask about
working with Stone. “On one hand he’s out of his
fucking mind, and on the other hand he’s just this
beautiful artist. He’s like Beethoven or Van Gogh or
something.” Leto also mentioned how they were told to
read the language of the characters and classics like
Homer and Aeschylus. Also he mentioned using his
accent the whole time filming was going on. Oliver
Stone created a very genuine experience for the movie.
If there’s any question to why Leto doesn’t work
enough, it’s primarily because he doesn’t want to.
“I’m picky. I want to do great things; I want to be
proud of what I do. It’s easy to find excuses to go
to work .
Hefestión - Jared Leto 