He supported Ukraine when it was not yet mainstream: 10 interesting facts about the Hollywood sex symbol Jared Leto

On Tuesday, December 26, the world-famous American actor and musician Jared Leto celebrates his birthday. It's hard to believe, but the Hollywood star and one of the world's main sex symbols is 52 years old! Fan theories that the actor has sold his soul to the devil to stay forever young seem more and more realistic. Tests were repeatedly created on the Internet, asking people to guess which photos showed Leto older and which younger. It's almost impossible to cope with this task without making mistakes, because the idol of millions hasn't changed much in the last 20 years (except for his roles). The funny thing is that Jared himself failed this test.

An Oscar winner, a leading man in cult films, a master of transformation, he positions himself more as a musician than an actor. However, for Ukrainians, Jared Leto is first and foremost a loyal friend and a man with a clear position. He was one of the first world stars to support Ukraine after the full-scale invasion. Most importantly, he did so until February 24, 2022. In honor of the legendary artist's birthday, OBOZ.UA decided to recall his relationship with Ukraine and collect other impressive facts from the birthday boy's life.

1. He played a Ukrainian in the 2005 movie The Gun Baron, where he made a map of Ukraine out of cocaine. This is a drama about a family of Ukrainian immigrants who settled in the United States. The Orlov brothers from Odesa were played by Jared Leto and Nicolas Cage. The protagonists quickly adapted to the streets of Brighton Beach and started an illegal arms business there. At one point, Jared Leto's character Vitaly misses Ukraine so much that he makes a map of it out of cocaine.

2. He sang a song about Odesa and promised to come to Kyiv. Obviously, Jared Leto was preparing for the role of an Odessan, which is why after February 24, he sang the famous song "Ah, Odesa, the pearl by the sea" in one of his Instagram live streams. The actor dedicated this broadcast to Ukraine and Ukrainians to once again express his support for the backgammon that is fighting the great aggressor. The star was joined by Ukrainians, including a guy from Odesa. Leto sang a song for him. And when a Kyiv resident joined the broadcast, the artist expressed hope that he would soon be able to return to the capital of Ukraine.

3. He came to Ukraine in 2014. After the Revolution of Dignity took place in Ukraine and the situation in Crimea and Donbas escalated, many international musicians began to cancel their tours in Ukraine due to the potentially dangerous situation. However, not the band Thirty Seconds to Mars, whose frontman is Jared Leto. In March 2014, the rockers came to Kyiv and expressed their support for our country by raising a huge blue and yellow flag on stage. A few days later, Leto received an Oscar and said at the ceremony that he "supports Ukrainians who dream of living in a democracy."

4. He started working at the age of 12. As a teenager, the future musician and actor decided that he wanted to earn money. That is why at the age of 12 he was washing dishes for $1.57 per hour. He carefully saved his salary from his first job, and soon bought a guitar with it. That's how his passion for music began. By the way, the artist gives a personalized name to each new guitar in his collection.

5. Jared Leto grew up surrounded by hippies. The star's mother was a representative of this subculture. Leto's surname belongs to his stepfather, whom Jared's mother met after her husband's tragic death by suicide. The actor has never met his biological father.

6. His role in the cult drama Requiem for a Dream. In order to better embody the drug addict Harold on the screen, Leto lived on the streets of New York for a while. He wanted to fully experience the atmosphere of the underclass. In addition, for the role, the actor lost 13 kilograms, went on a hunger strike and did not have sex for two months.

7. He does not agree to nude photo shoots. Women's magazines have repeatedly offered Leto substantial sums of money for nude photography, but he always refuses.

8. He hasn't eaten food of animal origin for more than 20 years. Jared Leto calls himself a vegan liar. He said in an interview: "I don't eat meat, of course, but if I'm on the bank of a beautiful river teeming with trout, I'll gladly catch the biggest fish and eat it."

9. A fan sent him his severed ear. The musician-actor said he found this "gift" when he was sorting through the mail. Along with the severed ear, the envelope contained a note that read "Are you listening?" Leto himself shocked with his prank in response. He made a hole in the part of his body sent by a fan and wore the ear as a pendant for a while. At the same time, Jared asked that fans not make such unexpected gifts anymore, joking that he would have no place to put them.

10. Jared Leto has never been married. However, the eternally young sex symbol has had love affairs with many celebrities, including Scarlett Johansson, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Katarina Damm, Ashley Olsen and others. And once Leto even courted Angelina Jolie. The star failed to win the favor of his colleague.

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