'I Was On A Two-Week Silent Meditation': Jared Leto Admits He Had No Idea There Was A Pandemic
While the entire world was rushing to buy as much toilet paper and masks as possible at the start of lockdown, Jared Leto was late to the game since he had no idea there was even a pandemic.
The Dallas Buyers Club actor joined The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to discuss his upcoming film, The Little Things — but not before talking about his unique experience at the start of the pandemic.
Leto explained he wasn't aware of the global lockdown because he was on a "two-week silent meditation." On it, he said, "You go away. You get rid of your phone. You get rid of distractions and you get rid of everything and you just meditate."
The Oscar winner told the host that there were only about 150 cases when he went away on the retreat. "When I came out, there was a shut down, a state of emergency, and the whole world had changed," Leto said.
The teachers on the retreat also decided not to tell the group about what was going on in the world. "They made a decision. 'Let's not disturb the participants,'" Leto added, as Fallon put his head in his hands in disbelief.
"It's like a Twilight Zone episode, but in real life," Fallon said.
"I had this great tool to kind of deal with 'stress' and things in life," the American Psycho star said, before noting: "I don't think anything can quite prepare any of us for what we went through at the beginning."
While Fallon called it the "most bizarre story," Leto admitted: "It was like coming out to the zombie apocalypse."
Leto, 49, also talked about his role in the upcoming thriller, The Little Things, and working amongst legendary actors Denzel Washington and Rami Malek.
"He's the GOAT," Leto said of his "hero," Washington. "He's the King."
Leto explained he went through a "whole transformation" for his creepy character in the film — where he had brown eyes, a different nose and different teeth and adopted a new way of walking and talking.
The accomplished actor is known for his method-acting practices as well as for being one of the most physically and mentally dedicated talents in the film industry.
The Little Things will be in theaters on Friday, January 29, and available on HBO Max.
