“The bridge between reality and a dream is hard work,” actor Jared Leto declared to the rapt audience at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The Academy Award-winning actor (for his role as a transgendered prostitute in Dallas Buyer’s Club) was on stage with The Barbarian Group CEO Benjamin Palmer to speak on their approaches to creative thinking and the role of technology in promoting art.
As a musician in a “failing industry” whose problems with royalty disputes and labels are well-documented, Leto called out for Youtube to form profit-sharing agreements with performers whose videos they featured. ““I am always in favor of companies like YouTube to talk a bit more with musicians and make deals a bit more with musicians. A lot of people don’t know this, but someone who does make-up tutorials on YouTube can make more than an artist who makes music.”
Leto, of course, is one such musician; in 2008, he and his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, entered into a dispute with their label EMI which resulted in a $30 million lawsuit that only ended when an entirely new contract with ammended terms was drawn up.
Also touched upon were Leto’s upbringing by his single mother following his father’s abandonment (“I’ve only met my dad once.”) and just what it was like to wear the heels and tights (“I feel your pain ladies!”) for the role that won him his Oscar. Of course, on the latter, Leto was quick to point out that he was in no way a spokesperson for women’s rights.
Leto was in generally good spirits during his time onstage, graciously sharing candid anecdotes about his life and the importance of perseverance in the face of setbacks while pursuing one’s goals.
Following the conversation part with Palmer, Leto fielded questions from the floor, peppering his answers with witticisms at every turn and good-naturedly heckling those he spotted leaving the auditorium before his session was done and even inviting a couple of female fans up to have a selfie with him.
By Mikhail Lecaros
