Jared Leto's Rock Star Dreams
When Jared Leto takes the stage as the front man of his band 30 Seconds to Mars, he's not just another actor living out his rock star fantasy; he's a musician who also happens to be an actor.
Leto, who's starred in the dramatic films "Alexander" and "Requiem for a Dream," has already broken out of the teen idol image he earned as Jordan Catalano on the early '90s TV series "My So Called Life." But, can he get the street cred from music fans that actors Bruce Willis, Russell Crowe and others have failed to gain?
With two albums under their belt, 30 Seconds to Mars has built up a big enough fan base to sell out shows on their first North American tour. Even though "A Beautiful Lie," the group's second album, entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at a respectable No. 44 last September, Leto is still surprised at the success of the band's current tour.
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Speaking with CBSNews.com from a tour stop in Milwaukee, Leto said: "I really didn't expect to come out and sell out virtually every single show that we played. That was a shock. We've been playing a lot of venues (where) just a few months ago we were opening up for other bigger bands. To come back and sell out those same venues all over the country has been pretty unexpected and exciting."
The band's fans have developed their own sub-culture, following the band from gig to gig, and showing up to concerts decked out in their 30 Seconds to Mars gear.
"It's a beautiful thing to see people get so creative," said Leto, "and we have this very interesting thing happening out here. It's like a cross between Grateful Dead and David Bowie, but without the patchouli oil and transgender outfits."
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That '70s theme is appropriate, since the 34-year-old Leto was influenced by progressive rock bands of that era.
"When I was a kid, my favorite bands were everything from Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd — bands that seemed to put more into what they were doing than just 10 singles for the radio," he said. "I never got into pop music. I think people can see that when they listen to our first record, which was a very conceptual album."
The band grew out of Leto's musical experimentation with his older brother Shannon, who's been playing drums since he was a child. But Leto insists Shannon isn't in the band because he's the movie star's brother, he's there because he's got the chops.
"The best part is I get to play with such an incredibly talented drummer," Leto said of his brother. "If he wasn't such a great drummer, we wouldn't be playing together."
With his brother on drums, Leto played all the remaining instruments and wrote all the songs on 30 Seconds to Mars's self-titled debut album, released in 2002. For "A Beautiful Lie," Leto and his brother were joined by band members Matt Wachter on bass and Tomo Milicevic on guitar.
"I still write all the songs," he said, "but I do have the contribution … right now of the band, who continue to surprise me, inspire me and challenge me in all kinds of different ways."
While the first album was what Leto called "more conceptual," he wanted "A Beautiful Lie" to be a more emotionally revealing album.
"This record is written from the point of view of someone on the crossroads of life, someone who has to make really intense changes in order to move forward as a human being," he said. "It's really about going to war, going to war with yourself and ultimately winning the battle.
"There are all kinds of metaphorical and different narrative elements that are cohesive, there's lots of continuity throughout the album thematically. I used a lot of very strong, violent imagery to represent an internal struggle. So 'Attack' and 'The Kill' (are) about very violent, emotional situations."
Leto said that he doesn't struggle to balance his film and music careers — and he's clear about his priorities.
"It's more like I blocked out a time period to make a film than I blocked out a time to make the album," he said. "There was a priority while we were doing it so that's what was important to do. I don't make that many films for the very reason I need time to finish the music."
The band's tour began in early March and is scheduled to extend through the end of May. Performance footage from the tour will be used in the band's upcoming DVD, which will also include plenty of backstage antics and extras according to Leto. "It's going to be a very, very full DVD," he added.
Being on the road and giving a high-energy performance every night has helped Leto shed much of the 60-plus pounds he gained for his role as Mark David Chapman, the man who shot John Lennon, in the film "Chapter 27."
Leto has been known to dive in the audience during a show, but he insisted his family — and his agent — have nothing to worry about.
"I'm very careful. I try not to do anything that's going to be life threatening," he said. The result of all his nightly aerobic activity is that Leto is almost able to fit in all his pre-"Chapter 27" clothes. "I'm wearing my skinny jeans!" he joked.
The stylists at ABC's "Desperate Housewives" apparently won't have to worry about Leto's pant size: reports he's appearing on upcoming episodes of the show are false.
"Not true, that's a total rumor," he said. "I don't even know how that got started. I'm sure they're as shocked as I am. I've never seen the show. I'm sure it's a good show, I just never watch television. I don't even have the time to watch TV."