Jared Leto Went Full Method for TRON: ARES and Jeff Bridges Didn't Play Along — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

5 hours ago

Jared Leto is no stranger to immersive Method acting, fully transforming into his character for Disney's Tron: Ares . According to Empire Magazine, he remained in character on and off set throughout the entire shoot.
Director Joachim Rønning even said that interacting with Leto required a bit of roleplaying on his part too. The filmmaker explained:
'He would come on set and not talk to anyone, which to some cast members could be intimidating, but that's what he wanted. That's what he used, to play the character.
'When I spoke to him, I'd need to go into a role of some sort too. As Master Control, Leto's Ares is like the general of the Grid, so I would treat him like that. When he'd come on to set we'd all straighten up a bit.'
Leto, who plays Ares, an elite Program created by the Dillinger Corporation, asked castmates to refer to him only by his character's name.
That sounds so annoying, and while most people went along with it… Jeff Bridges did not. Bridges, reprising his role as digital-world pioneer Kevin Flynn, had his own way of keeping things grounded. When asked if he followed Leto's name rule, Bridges responded:
'Since I'm Flynn, who created that whole world, I figured that I could call him whatever I wanted to. I respected his desire to be called Ares, and not have to switch back and forth, but as Flynn I felt sort of special, so on set I called him 'Air.' Flynn's above the whole thing.'
In typical Leto fashion, the performance wasn't just psychological, it was physical as well. The actor described the intensity of wearing the heavy, futuristic suit:
'It's hard not to be immersed when your suit weights 40 lb. That'll put you right in the sweet spot. It was painful. But I loved it. I was always happy to be in that suit.
'And that dictates the way you move, the way you hold your body, the way you walk. So a lot of the character was in the suit. You can't put that suit on and not feel like a warrior from the future.'
Tron: Ares picks up years after Tron: Legacy , and introduces cool new twist as Ares is sent from the digital world into the real one, marking humanity's first true contact with artificial intelligence. The cast also includes Greta Lee, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, and Cameron Monaghan.
Will Leto's performance match the intensity of his prep? We'll find out when Tron: Ares hits theaters October 10.