`DREAM' ROLE, NIGHTMARE NIGHTS

Jared Leto Took Drug Research To The Streets

Playing a heroin addict in "Requiem for a Dream" was both the most
unpleasant and the most satisfying thing actor Jared Leto has ever done.

"It wasn't the type of film where at the end of the day you kick back and
have a few drinks," Leto said of director Darren Aronofsky's lacerating
drama, which has garnered the best reviews of any American movie this year.

"Between the subject matter and the research and preparation, it was
impossible to leave the job at work. I cannot over-exaggerate how painful
the process was. It was the darkest, most miserable thing I've ever done --
but also the most rewarding."

"Requiem for a Dream" opened Friday at the Rio Theatre.

To research his role as Harry Goldfarb, a young Brooklynite whose life is
ravaged by drugs, the 29-year-old actor actually hung out with drug addicts
in some of New York's seedier neighborhoods. He ended up losing one-sixth
of his normal weight to play an emaciated heroin user.

Even at a gaunt 125 pounds, though, Leto remains drop-dead handsome.
Evidently you could beat the guy with a shovel and he'd still make hearts
flutter.

Leto made his big debut as Claire Danes' elusive love interest in the
short-lived (but highly acclaimed) TV series "My So-Called Life."

At that point he could have coasted on his looks. Instead he decided to
push himself.

"People ask me about the dark themes of the movies I get involved in," Leto
said in a recent telephone conversation from Los Angeles. "But it isn't
about the darkness. I just want to work with directors who have unique
visions and something to say."

He played an obsessed distance runner in the little-seen "Prefontaine,"
allowed himself to be beaten to an unrecognizable pulp in "Fight Club" and
portrayed a disgusting yuppie who became a serial killer's victim in
"American Psycho."

But for his role in "Requiem for a Dream," based on Hubert Selby Jr.'s 1978
novel, Leto made an effort to experience what drug addicts go through every
day.

"I went out on the streets of New York and did the best I could to
understand the circumstances of my character's life," Leto said. "I lived
in that world, slept out on the street. And the addicts I met were kind
enough to open themselves up to me."

True friendship with an addict, though, is impossible, Leto learned.

"Some of the people I encountered knew I was an actor. They recognized me.
They cared about that for about 5 minutes, then it was back to the job of
finding more dope. That always comes first."

This period of research was not without danger.

"Me and a friend got robbed one night by someone who stuck a gun in our
faces. One guy had an overdose right in front of me."

Although "Requiem's" subject matter is undeniably grim, the film never
overlooks the humanity of its drug-addicted principal characters -- played
by Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans.

"Most of the people I met on the street still had a sense of hope," Leto
said. "They were always saying, `It's going to get better.' And that's
something the film does very well -- it brings out the humanity of the four
main characters. They're all innocent in a way, they all have good hearts.

"I found lots of people on the street who really were good. They'd just
made some bad choices. The difference is that I could walk away from that
world. They don't have that choice."

If the film's subject matter is a downer, director Aronofsky's technical
skills are nothing less than inspiring. "Requiem for a Dream" has been
assembled as if it were a huge symphonic piece for orchestra.

"Darren used to talk on the set about the musicality of this film," Leto
said. "None of that was left up to the editing. It was all mapped out
before we started shooting. He even played music while we shot some scenes.
He really explored the film's pace on the set -- he wanted it to have a
kind of musical pulse."

Actors often don't know how they'll be used in the final cut of a film,
Leto acknowledged. But Aronofsky was very specific about each actor's
function in every scene and in the overall drama.

"Darren's the kind of guy who visualizes everything before he actually gets
to the set. He explains to his cast what's he's trying to do, what the
finished film will look like. He's very clear about it. As an actor you
know exactly how your work will fit into the whole.

"It wasn't the sort of experience where you shoot the film and when you see
the final cut it isn't at all the movie you thought you were making."

Even so, after completing the film Leto felt so burned out he required some
extensive R&R.

"I went to a monastery in Portugal, lived on potatoes and shaved my head.
It really cleared my mind."

Next up for Leto: "The Panic Room" from "Fight Club" director David
Fincher. His co-stars include Nicole Kidman, Forest Whitaker and Dwight Yoakam.

"It's a drama about a stalker/urban terrorist," Leto said. "Another
lighthearted role."

To reach Robert W. Butler, movie editor for The Star, call (816) 234-4760
or send e-mail to bbutler@kcstar.com