Jared Leto Blinded Himself for Role in Blade Runner 2049

Jared Leto takes method acting to a whole other level. It seems that for every role he takes on, he really delves himself into the character and their world. His role in Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 is no different.

News broke that Leto spent the entire film shoot trying to live without the benefit of sight as his character Niander Wallace, a menacing creator of the androids roaming the Blade Runner world, happens to be blind.

In an interview with WSJ Magazine, Leto wore specially designed contact lenses that make his eyes look opaque, while also preventing visibility so that he could fully immerse himself into Wallace’s sightless world. He even had to be guided around set. Director Villeneuve stated Leto’s acting decisions as a bit insane at times, even saying, “we all heard stories about Jared, how he transforms into the characters. But even this didn’t prepare me for what was to come.

“He really created something. Every time Jared came on set, it was a boost of energy, tension and excitement.”

Villeneuve revealed that Leto even came to the first camera test already in character. “He could not see at all. He was walking with an assistant, very slowly. It was like seeing Jesus walking into a temple,” he said. “Everybody became super silent, and there was a kind of sacred moment. Everyone was in awe. It was so beautiful and powerful — I was moved to tears.”

Leto has been known to commit to his roles with quite an intensity, including that of a heroin addict in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Deam – he hung out with heroin addicts and his role as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club where he lost 30 pounds to play a trans woman with HIV.


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Jen is Reel Talk's Editor-in-Chief and Girl Friday for news, sneak peeks, and film history. She's obsessed with Turner Classic Movies and loves all things film, TV, and celebrity. Jen has previously written for Soap Opera Digest, BizBash, and Latina magazines. Send her mail at jen@reeltalkinc.com.