Rocket Man: Jared Leto on Mars, McCartney and Making Room for Oscar

Its been a transformative year for Jared Leto.

In May 2013, his band Thirty Seconds to Marsreleased their fourth album,LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS, and embarked on (yet another) world tour. A few months later,Dallas Buyers Clubpremiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, earning him critical acclaim and kicking off a run that culminated with a Best Supporting Actor win at the Academy Awards in March.

The Many Faces of Jared Leto

After all that, youd think Leto would be ready for a break. Instead, hes guiding Mars through their first foray as independent artists, gearing up for a return to the road, and getting used to life as an Oscar winner. Rolling Stone spoke with him about the year that was, and whats next for both his bandandhis career on the big screen.

In April, Thirty Seconds to Mars parted ways with Virgin/EMI, ending aninteresting relationship. Is it safe to assume youre going to be free agents for a while?
If you watchArtifact, you understand the battle that we had with the record industry, the $30 million lawsuit, the fight for our creative lives, and how that kind of changed us and put us on this path that were on now.We have been signed to a label since 1998, so for the first time ever we are actually free, and its exciting. There are limitless options out there. Tech options, crowd-funding options, but record companies are still a really great option too, because you have a group of people who believe in music, who help artists bring their dreams to life.

So I dont hate on record companies, Im just anti-corruption, anti-greed. And I think record companies can make fair, clear deals with artists and still be really profitable.So, were looking at our options; we have several labels that want to work with us, and yes, theyve seenArtifact. They know what weve been through.

So are you working on new music?
Always. I was in the studio two nights ago working on new ideas. I was talking to Paul McCartney at one of these events during awards season always great to drop Paul McCartneys name. Dont worry, Ill do Bono next [laughs]. Anyway, I was kind of prodding him for some advice. And he just talked about something Ive heard many creative people say before. He said You know what? Just write. Show up every day and write something. And keep writing. Even when you think you dont have something to say, just do it. And wonderful things will happen. So Im taking that approach.There are no rules right now. If a song is ready, we could release it. There might be a collaboration or a new song coming. You never know.

In a lot of ways, it seems like youre in a pretty enviable position.
Well, I would never take it for granted, but I do feel like Ive earned the right [to do what I want], and I would encourage anybody to embrace this perspective. Its up to us to define who we are and what our lives are, and to really do whatever the fuck you want to do, unless its hurting other people. Whether thats not making a film for six years, and deciding to make a couple of albums and fight an entire industry while they sue you for everything youve got; whether thats your path or its something else, you gotta do what youre inspired to do, and Ill continue to take that approach.

Im not going to jump into some film unless I think its going to be an interesting and challenging experience. And the same with music. Were out touring the world, going back out in August and September, playing amphitheaters in America with Linkin Park and AFI, because were excited to do it.

Youre definitely the first Oscar winner to tour with Linkin Park. Has your life changed since winning an Academy Award?
Oh yeah, in a lot of ways. Theres a lot of goodwill and joy and excitement that not only I get, but everybody around me gets. Weve known each other for so long, theres an investment as a co-conspirator and a friend, like Oh shit, my buddy Jared had something really wonderful happen. Its not just about me, its about all of us; it becomes a community thing. And you get a chance to take the light that shines on you and turn it back on your mom, or your friends, or people that have believed in you.

But another nice thing thats happened is theres been some clarity and some understanding and some reclamation of public image, where people have gotten to know me a little more, rather than an idea they may have had of me. Its a fringe benefit, but its also a really nice thing.

Jared Leto Gets Back

As an artist, which industry is more frustrating: movies or music?
Theyre very different. Theres traditionally been a lot more stability in the movie business, because there are many more examples of long-term careers. A musician can be a teenager, can come out and have more success than you ever thought was possible. And that success can often times be short-lived, so theres not a lot of time for people to stick around and use that influence and success to change the way the model works.

In recent years, theres been a lot of instability in the music business music companies become shells of their former selves, are a company in name only, and dont have a staff or a team or a maverick or a leader at the helm. Those people still exist John Janick at Interscope, Lucian Grainge at Universal, people who have a clear vision of how they want to do things and they go out and execute. There are people out there kicking ass and taking names.

I guess the answer is: there are parts of both that are frustrating, but I think anybody could say that about their job. You probably dont like typing. Or maybe you do, I dont know [laughs].

It seems like much is made about the politics of Hollywood. Did you experience any of that while promoting Dallas Buyers Club?
Honestly, I didnt. I know some people have had a negative experience, but for me, people were really nice, they were really genuine. You get to meet your heroes, people who have influenced you: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep. You meet people and you go Wow, these people are pretty incredible. And on top of that, theyre really nice. I was driving back from Coachella, and I got a call from Robert Redford, and he was calling me to tell me he had watched a film that affected him deeply, and it wasArtifact.So that was kind of cool. And he gave me some words of wisdom, too. It was very kind of him to take a few minutes of his day to call.

Now that youve won an Oscar, does it make you want a Grammy even more?
Ive never held out for any award in my entire life. Ive never thought Id ever get one; its funny, the thing I was initially criticized for the most is the thing Ive been awarded for the most. Ive won more awards for music that anything. So when the movie came out and it was supported, it was a pretty impactful and different experience for me. But I dont really pine for awards. Theyve never been part of any of the things that I think about.

Plus, theyre probably everywhere now.
Theyre all kind of shoved into the corner of my kitchen, because when you walk into the house, thats where you put stuff. So they ended up in the kitchen, and theyre there right now. Im looking at the back of the head of the Oscar and the MTV one; theyre keeping each other company. But theyre not in a very glamorous spot. I dont know what you do with these things.