Jared Leto Reveals The Secret Behind His Luscious Hair
The actor and new face of Gucci's Guilty fragrance gets real about his long locks, his biggest indulgence, and what daring means to him
You both have great hair. What is your routine?
Soap and water. I use Ivory, Palmolive, or Clorox. I wash my hair every day—I'm squeaky-clean—and dry it naturally, with a little L.A. smog.
You're the face of Gucci's new Guilty fragrance. Describe it in three words.
Adventurous, spontaneous, passionate.
How did your friendship with Alessandro Michele begin?
We met in Los Angeles, pretty much where I'm standing as I speak to you, which is at the top of Laurel Canyon. We're both creative people and felt pretty comfortable with each other very quickly. The thing about Alessandro is that he lacks any pretense—he's humble, grateful, and kind—so it's easy to like him. I had a lot of fun with him, and we got to know each other and became really good friends.
Why do you like to wear fragrance?
I believe fragrance can be a way to tap into a bit of nostalgia or a feeling. Scent is a really powerful source of recall and emotion.
What's your guilty pleasure?
I'm a vegan, but I do cheat from time to time. Whenever I go to Paris, I visit this great teahouse in the Marais, Mariage Frères, and get a dessert called carré d'or. I'm pretty sure it has at least a pound of butter in it.
Who are you dying to work with?
It would be really fun to work with Olivia de Havilland, who is 100 years old. I met her in Paris not too long ago, and she was so incredible. I'm kind of enamored of old-school Hollywood royalty. Others include Martin Scorsese, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Richard Serra.
What do you like to do on a night out?
There's nothing like a hike through the wilderness at night. It's very rare that I will go out. But I did take Alessandro out to the Oscars, and that was a fun night. We painted the town red. Is that what they say? We got dressed up in our tuxedos, I presented and got to make a joke about merkins onstage, and then we went out to the Governors Ball, the Vanity Fair party, the party after that…It was a blast. I think we got home around five in the morning. And that's like eight in the morning New York time.
What is your drink of choice?
I prefer San Pellegrino because, you know, the bubbles are smaller than Perrier's.
What's the most daring thing you've done for a role?
I've gained 67 pounds and gotten down to 112 pounds for roles. Physical transformation is a difficult commitment—it takes over your life. But I think showing emotional vulnerability is probably the most daring thing you can do.
Who do you consider to be daring?
There is a group of people in the Peruvian Amazon who are fighting the big oil companies. This isn't just happening in Peru; it's happening in Colombia, Brazil, and all over South America. These are people who have very little in terms of materialistic wealth, but they are fighting these giant corporations. I think they are incredibly inspiring.
From: Harper's BAZAAR US