10 Best Jared Leto Performances

10. My So-Called Life

While the short lived series My So-Called Life is of course not a film, it stands as a fantastic example of Leto's talent, even at a younger age. In the show, he plays Jordan Catalano, the 'bad boy' of the group.

He is depicted primarily as Claire Dane's character Angela Chase's love interest. He is a musician who uses his music to mask his confusion and pain at his undiagnosed learning difficulty (he is later found to be dyslexic).

The show has been heralded as one of the greatest television shows of its time, despite its brevity. With only nineteen episodes produced, and a finale that ended on a cliffhanger, the intention seemed to very much be to bring it back for a second season.

However, the stars of the show were still young and balancing schoolwork with filming. Leto himself was twenty three at the time of filming, while others in the cast were much younger. It was the focus of the first internet fan petition to save the show, though the low ratings prompted ABC to pull the plug.

This would serve to be Leto's first big break in Hollywood, opening the doors for many of the roles to follow. In that same year alone, he appeared in Cool and The Crazy, with Alicia Silverstone.