Ateen heartthrob turned musician, could Jared Leto be about to take on his most sensational role yet – that of surprise Oscar winner? In Jean-Marc Vallee’s Dallas Buyers Club, Leto plays Rayon, a transgender AIDS patient who becomes the unlikely business partner of Matthew McConaughey’s Ron Woodroof.

His performance, at once funny, warm and heartbreaking, may surprise those less familiar with Leto’s work. Known for years only as Jordan Catalano from the mid-'90s television show My So-Called Life, in his 20s he blanched at being typecast as TV’s beautiful bad boy.

After a vagabond-like childhood where he was constantly surrounded by artists and creators, the young Leto wanted to stretch himself. To that end he sought challenging roles. He worked with Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line), David Fincher (Panic Room, Fight Club) and Mary Harron (Girl Interrupted). He is probably best known for a shudderingly dark performance in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem For A Dream.

Then, at the peak of his acting career, Leto formed 30 Seconds To Mars. Musicians had dabbled in rock previously, inevitably with toe-curling results. However, 30 Seconds To Mars became the rare exception, an actor-fronted rock band worth listening to. Sixteen years on they have sold over 10 million albums worldwide.

Why return to acting now, Jared? “It was the role of a lifetime,” says Leto of his character Rayon. “I knew immediately I had to do it. I hadn’t made a film for six years. I read the script and understood it would be an incredible way to return to the screen. There wasn’t much doubt in my mind. And I had spent years with only doubts.”

Indeed, Leto had fallen out of love with acting, after passion projects like Oliver Stone’s Alexander and smaller productions such as Mr. Nobody and Chapter 27 met with either critical ridicule – or simply no audience at all. There’s also the fact that he was a tad busy.

“I was pursuing other dreams. I was touring the world with 30 Seconds To Mars, writing music, fighting $30 million dollar lawsuits with our record label, making a film about those lawsuits called Artifact. It’s been a wild few years.”

Leto adds that time away from the screen was good for him emotionally. “I needed a break,” he admits. “I think it gave me experience and the ability to go back and play this role.”

As Rayon, Leto underwent a physical transformation, losing 40 pounds, waxing his body, and staying in character every day on set. “I didn’t meet Matthew McConaughey or the director on set at all,” he says. “Rayon met them. It wasn’t until after the film they met me.”

He elaborates: “It was a pretty radical change – very transformative. I learned a lot, and started at the every beginning by talking to transgender people, studying, listening and building this character. A character that was a real, living person, not a stereotype or a cliché. She wassomeone who was searching for identity and
having issues with gender, and portraying that was a very immersive part.”

As part of his process, Leto frequently went out in public in character. “The reason to do it is to have experiences and learn from then – learn what it’s really like,” says Leto. “And people did instantly treat me differently. I got a pretty specific perspective from being in that place. People stare, people judge, people condemn. Sometimes people approve. Either way you learn a lot.”

Though the shoot was only 29 days, Leto’s immersion in the tragic role left him isolated and emotionally exhausted – an experience common to all his films. Leaving Rayon behind for good, meanwhile, was a mourning process all its own. “It can be emotionally draining, and it takes a while to recover – it’s not something you can jump out of. You have to shed this new skin that you’ve grown. That’s part of what I enjoy about acting, it’s transforming. You’re transported to another place and time and by learning about people, you grow so much.”

A consummate performer who immerses himself in all of his characters, one wonders about Leto’s relationship with music, and the process of performing. If he disappears inside his roles so completely, one would imagine that his on-stage presence must likewise be a persona of sorts. Not so, apparently. For Leto, music is where he is at his rawest and most honest.

“It’s the polar opposite of acting,” he says. “When I’m on stage with 30 Seconds for Mars, that’s me. Film is about building a character. Music is about revealing who you are.”

It is perhaps instructive that while Leto is able to listen to and enjoy his music, he has steadfastly refused to watch his films for years. Despite all the Oscar buzz around Dallas Buyers Club he’s yet to see the film.

“I’m fairly critical, but that’s part of my job. With music, you’re constantly editing as you’re writing and recording. It’s the same when I direct videos – I’m part of the editorial process. If I’m not part of that process, there’s no need for me to observe. Merely watching back my acting doesn’t change or inform my choices: in fact, it can hinder them.” He is happy to discuss Artifact. His directoral debut, the movie chronicles 30 Seconds To Mars’ $30 million court battle with EMI and touches on the wider subject of artistic independence.

“Artifact is a story we had to tell. It’s the story of not only the making of our album This is War but also the battle with our record company EMI Capitol and Virgin. It is about how we sold millions of albums and came back from a global tour, only to find that we were millions of dollars in debt. So we started to look into it and discovered that we were in the middle of a weird clusterfuck of an arrangement with the record company that left us terminally in the red. Eventually we terminated our contract and they sued us for $30 million. We filmed everything over this two year battle. It’s out now on iTunes.”

For the next month, all eyes will be on Leto’s role in Dallas Buyers Club. Having raked in over 30 awards already, including a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award, Leto is hot favourite to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Unlike other actors such as Michael Fassbender who have spoken about the gruelling experience of awards campaigns, Leto is enjoying every minute.

“I love it. Not just the awards, but being part of a film that shines a light on this incredibly brave group of people, I’m so proud. And that’s what great about the award: it pays tribute to all the Rayons of the world, all the people who have suffered at the hands of this disease and lost their lives. And the people still living with AIDS. It’s all a tribute to them, really, to their bravery.”

is in cinemas now.