10 Best Jared Leto Performances
4. Blade Runner 2049
Leto was director Denis Villeneuve's second choice, though to be fair if you are the second choice after David Bowie, that is still saying something. Bowie had passed away by the time Blade Runner 2049 went into production and the filmmakers turned to Leto instead.
Leto had just come off filming Suicide Squad when he began to prepare for this role. He cited his own friends in the tech industry as influences for his performance, rather than basing it on any one source.
He also brought his unusual acting techniques to this film as well. He ordered custom contact lenses that removed his ability to see entirely. Villeneuve related a story where Leto arrived on set for the first day of work, guided by an assistant as he couldn't see a thing. Villeneuve described it as being a beautiful moment of a man so deep in his craft that it was like watching a holy man arrive to the Temple.
While Blade Runner 2049 did not find the box office success that it deserved, the film is undoubtedly one of the best science fiction films of the decade, with masterclass performances from all involved. Leto displays a surety in himself here that is chilling - he seems to channel the spirit of both this film and the original in his delivery, easily becoming as much of an iconic character as any others around him.
If you haven't seen this film - watch it as soon as you can. It really is that good.