Love it or loathe it, Jared Leto’s flamboyant performance in House of Gucci is bound to get film fans talking now the true-crime melodrama has been released in UK cinemas.
The former Academy Award winner stars alongside Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons in Sir Ridley Scott’s latest, and his scenery-chewing turn has already seen some critics tout him for a possible second Oscar.
Ahead of the release, Leto spoke to RadioTimes.com about what made him “fall in love” with Paolo Gucci – revealing he had initially been approached to play a different character.
“I was approached for a different character, but when I read it, I just fell in love with Paolo,” he said. “I thought there’s something special here – I didn’t know what he looked like, but I connected to his heart, to his humour and to his corduroy underwear!”
The Blade Runner 2049 star added that he “didn’t know anything about” the Gucci family before he read the script, but said he was “totally shocked” by the story and reckons it will have a similar impact on audiences.
“I think a lot of audiences will be shocked and surprised by this story,” he said. “It’s a fun one because it is a revelation, it’s a wild film. It’s a film of extremes and a lot of fun to sit there and spend time with.”
Leto has been known for his method approach to acting in the past, and given Lady Gaga revealed she had spoken with an Italian accent for nine months in preparation for her role in the film, you might wonder if Leto took any similar steps.
But while he confirmed that he worked in “a very immersive way”, Leto declined to give any details about exactly how he got into character.
“It’s kind of like a meat pie,” he said. “You know, you might want to take a bite of it, but do you really want to know what’s inside? Sometimes it’s better to let those mysterious meat pieces kind of dangle around and just be in the back of your tongue rather than under the microscope.
“But I’ve been working in a very immersive way for a long time,” he added. “And I enjoy that process, it works for me. But you know, everyone has their own way of doing things, and I demand for myself absolute commitment, absolute focus and I like to climb that mountain. It’s fascinating for me and I always learn a lot.”