Jared Leto would like Thailand to know something.
Jared Leto and Thirty Seconds to Mars in concert in Bangkok on April 5.
“I didn’t know if I should say this because maybe it’s offensive, but I hope it isn’t. When I gave my Oscar speech, I know I mentioned Ukraine and Venezuela, but there was another country I had written down and it was Thailand. But in the moment of nervousness, I was lucky that I got any words out. But it was in my head and in my heart. It’s the truth. I knew I was coming here and I knew there were people protesting,” he said.
The Oscar-winner and frontman of rock group Thirty Seconds to Mars wasn’t just all talk. Last Saturday at his only newspaper interview prior to his first ever gig in Thailand, I accidentally stalked Leto and his cameraman and overheard them debating a mode of transportation for quite some time. Walking, taxi, Skytrain or boat? They ended up taking the hotel’s intimidating black limousine.
“I went to the protest in the park. There was a big one today, where the tents are, you know, where everybody was sleeping. There were big speeches and it was interesting to see democracy at work. It was inspiring,” said Leto.
Leto continued to display his interest in this confusing country of ours throughout the entire Thirty Seconds to Mars show. Waving the Thai flag, paying respect to HM the King, wearing muay Thai boxing shorts and mentioning our collective annoyance at traffic caused by political instability, it was clear Leto had done his research on Thailand. It might not be profound or substantial — he admitted on stage that he was just “an observer” — and you can agree or disagree with his position, but what he did was more than any other musicians who have waltzed through these shores had ever done.
With his recent best supporting actor Oscar win for his performance as an HIV-positive drag queen in Dallas Buyers Club and stacks of critically acclaimed roles to his name, Leto, considered a method actor, showcased his Oscar-worthy performance as a rock star. Fully engaged, fully believable, Leto led his Thirty Seconds to Mars to capture the hearts of screaming Thai fans through strong eye contact, witty banter, touching fan involvement that included a stage exodus and selfies, and stage movements that subconsciously paid homage to Axl Rose during his heyday.
Offstage and offscreen, Leto, 42, is as pretty as he is on. Naturally wiry, in a tattered T-shirt and boots that seemed to be bigger than his feet, Leto’s whirlpool eyes are as startling and piercing as they are oft-described and praised. He leaned out of his chair in an eager position, readying himself to either run or make you laugh, while guitarist Tomo Milicevic was all smiles and only chimed in when you directly eyed him for an answer. Leto’s older brother and drummer Shannon was absent for every interview due to sickness.
Since it was his official visit with Thirty Seconds to Mars, who has so far sold over 10 million records worldwide within four albums and rectified the bad name for actor-led bands, I was gently reminded to focus my questions on his music career, which wasn’t really an issue, as his musical path is no less interesting or successful as his Hollywood one. There are even kids who don’t even know that Leto is an Oscar-winner, let alone an accomplished actor.
Leto, who took more than six years off from making a film before taking on Dallas Buyers Club, seems be more than able to handle both careers just fine through precise decisions and a selective nature that has earned him rare recognition in both acting and music. Asked how he balances the two, Leto was quick to respond while Milicevic said Leto’s established acting career has never hindered the band’s progress.
“It’s like having two children. It’s good to devote love to both of them, so one doesn’t end up in prison,” said Leto, followed by a loud laugh from Milicevic.
“We work so much. I don’t make that many films. By the time I make films, they are ready to take a break. Dallas Buyers Club was the first movie I made in six years and I haven’t made another film since, so it’s been a year-and-a-half. For the Oscars, I was home for a week. Not even really. It’s been fun. It’s been an incredible ride,” he added.
Leto’s first breakthrough role came in 1994 when he played Jordan Catalano, a mysterious, aloof love interest of Claire Danes in the short-lived yet critically acclaimed series My So-Called Life, which has now reached cult status. In the 2000s he would go on to star in American Psycho, Fight Club, Panic Room, Lord Of War, Requiem For A Dream and more. In 1998 Leto started the band with his older brother.
“It was pretty organic, pretty natural. We had an interest in music since a very young age and we played songs together. So we thought we should write songs together to do something unique. You want to make something that lives, that touches people ... something meaningful. My brother and I grew up around a lot of artists. You take paint, you take clay, you take wood and you make something. Then you take instruments and you paint with sounds, really. It was kind of a normal thing for us to do,” he said.
The band’s eponymous first album came out in 2002, but it took A Beautiful Lie, three years later, to really launch the group into the musical limelight. This Is War, released in 2009, saw the band tangling in a lawsuit with their record company — and making an award-winning documentary film about the ordeal. Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams came out last year and Leto, a chief songwriter, felt a slight change in working process.
“It was pretty similar, except in the previous record we were battling our record company who sued us for US$30million (around 1 billion baht) when we disputed our contract and we made a film about it — it’s called Artifact. So we had a battle. This time, I think, we grew up a lot creatively and musically. It’s a more evolved album in a lot of ways.”
The lawsuit has since then been settled. Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams is said to be the most personal record yet for Thirty Seconds to Mars.
“You take a song like City Of Angels, which was very autobiographical — it’s about going to Los Angeles, and making dreams come true, fighting for dreams. It’s funny, I talk about that song and I get a little homesick. I never get homesick. As I get older I have a love for [LA]. There’s something special about a group of people that gather together to do something different, something they couldn’t do on their own,” he said.
The album’s cover featured Turner Prize-winning artist’s Damien Hirst’s polka-dotted Isonicotinic Acid Ethyl Ester.
“I think he’s a really interesting artist,” Leto said. “I thought that it would be unique collaboration, and it was. It was back and forth. You don’t tell him what to do and he doesn’t tell us what to do. We kind of worked together.”
Thirty Seconds to Mars is also known to embrace fans, considering them part of their “family”. There’s even an in-house fan service company called Adventures In Wonderland which deals directly with meet-and-greet sessions as well as other perks which involve interacting with the band members — but it comes with a price tag. Somehow it doesn’t feel like a moneymaking scheme, as Thirty Seconds to Mars certainly doesn’t need extra loose change. In contrast, it’s more like going the extra mile to please their fans. Still, does it ever get too much?
“I don’t think so. I don’t think it gets too much. We’re grateful for the audiences all over the world. They are the people that have made our dreams come true, so we consider them family. I would fight for my family.
Social media is a great way to have a conversation with people. Some people use it as a one-way tool, but we definitely use it as a two-way tool. We’re curious and interested in what people think. We’re very involved in having conversations with the audience,” said Milicevic. The interview was cut short as Leto was still reeling off all the things they’ve done for the last year-and-a-half, including an album, an Oscar win, a worldwide tour, a documentary film, three music videos directed by Leto, five lyrical music videos, a gazillion Instagram photos and countless interviews.
“It’s been a productive year-and-a-half. We’ve created tons of content,” he said.
“Pretty soon, it’s going to be time to say goodbye for a while, you know. But it’s been a really great run.”
Jared Leto on stage in Bangkok on April 5.
