Jared Leto is one of the most accomplished and versatile creators of his generation. He’s an Oscar-winner actor with two decades of film and television roles under his belt, quietly amassing a list of critically acclaimed appearances in films like Fight Club, Requiem For A Dream, Dallas Buyers Club and Suicide Squad among many others. His band Thirty Seconds To Mars has been in action since 1998 and sold over 15 million albums worldwide, and he’s directed several of their videos including the MTV VMA-winning video for “The Kill.”
In this episode, we talk about one of my favorite topics, namely that we are all becoming “hyphens.” We’re no longer just a photographer, or just an actor and it’s never a better time to independently create + distribute. We also talk a lot about failure.
I only succeed a little bit because I fail a lot.
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Some Questions I Ask:
- How do you define yourself? [1:44]
- How do you view independence versus trying to work within the old system? [3:50]
- What was your process in becoming a multifaceted artist? [5:01]
- How do you prioritize the different arts you do? [8:50]
- How did you learn your business skills? [9:56]
- Explain how you had to lean into and learn things outside of your expertise during your legal battle. [12:19]
- How does one prepare for playing a trans character? [15:40]
- Does your method of approaching vulnerability in your preparation for a project go deeper than acting? [19:26]
- What, exactly, was the reward of playing Rayon? [21:45]
- Why was Artifact so hard? [22:13]
- What role does failure play in your multifaceted approach to creativity? [26:20]
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- How getting to wear many different hats lets you fail in different ways, which is a great way to learn. [2:00]
- Why you shouldn’t wait for permission before taking action. [3:12]
- How Jared used art school to explore creativity. [5:47]
- Jared doesn’t ask permission to succeed or fail. And you shouldn’t either. [8:03]
- How Jared learned business by being taken advantage of. [10:51]
- Jared’s approach to learning what he’s needed to learn in business is the same formula he applies to learning any craft; take it one step at a time. [13:36]
- Why today is the best time to be a creative. [14:44]
- Why Jared makes no assumptions when scouting a new role. [18:12]
- Finding the balance between doing the things that you do well and the things that offer you a personal reward just for doing them. [21:04]
- Jared’s biggest reward for getting awards. [22:34]
- The challenges of shooting documentaries. [23:41]
- “Failure is often the thing that leads us to success, and success is often the thing that leads us to fail.” [27:33]
- Andy Warhol failed, and so can you. [27:56]
- What you should do while others are trying to decide whether your art is good or bad. [29:16]
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