I’ve always had an admiration for artists who are willing to get involved in different artistic fields. There’s a certain boldness and curiosity in these individuals that is very appealing to me.

Jared Leto is an artist who not only excels when it comes to performing on the big screen, but also when it comes to performing in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands of people. One could argue that Leto has had more success as an actor or as a musician, since he has reached the very peak of both careers. As an actor, Leto’s performances have always been daring, bold and truthful. In 2013, his performance as a transgender woman in Dallas Buyers Club earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor.

But it would almost be an insult to reduce his performances to just the awards he’s earned. He has described himself as a method actor, meaning he dives into his roles with an almost-unhealthy fervor. His co-stars often mention that they never actually get to meet Leto during the shooting of a movie, only the character he’s bringing to life. Will Smith--- who stars alongside Leto in Suicide Squad---remarked, “We worked together for six months and we’ve never exchanged a word outside of ‘action!’ and ‘cut!' We’ve never said ‘hello,' we’ve never said ‘good day.' I’ve only ever spoken to him as the Joker. I literally have not met him yet.”

In Suicide Squad, Leto might have gone further than before, since such a complex character like The Joker requires a very intense approach. The Clown Prince of Crime has been played on the big screen by iconic actors such as Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. Both of them did such a fine job portraying the criminal mastermind that is the Joker that Leto must have felt a high degree of pressure. “I did a lot of things to create a dynamic, to create an element of surprise, of spontaneity, and to really break down any kind of walls that may be there. The Joker is somebody who doesn’t really respect things like personal space or boundaries,” Leto said recently when discussing his approach to creating the character. But this was not the first time that Leto went this far for a role. In Chapter 27 (2007), Leto starred as Marck Chapman, Jon Lennon’s murderer. For the role, Leto put on 67 pounds, causing him problems with his feet and back and putting him in a wheelchair.

However, Leto’s first passion has always been music. He is lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and a songwriter for 30 Seconds to Mars, a rock band that he formed in 1998 with his brother Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic. The band released their debut album, 30 Seconds to Mars in 2002, receiving positive reviews. However, it was not until they released their second album, A Beautiful Lie (2005) that they achieved worldwide fame. Their last two albums, This is War (2009) and Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams earned critical and popular success as well. Though I am not the biggest fan of his music, I am able to recognize how talented this guy is, since he does not only sign, write and play several instruments, but he also directs some of his own music videos such as Kings and Queens (2009), Up in the Air (2013), and MTV Video Music Award winner The Kill (2006).

As I see it, all arts are connected by a key factor: creativity. Creativity does not flow in only one way, but in several. People limit themselves saying things like “I want to be the best painter in the world," or “I want to be a great writer.” I say, don’t limit yourselves. Of course you can be a great writer, or a wonderful painter, but you could also be both. You could write and illustrate your own novel. There’s always room for art to be explored, and restricting ourselves to only one field may limit our potential. To find the connection between different art forms and to establish a relation between them in order to create a greater product is what people like Jared Leto do so well. They are true artists. There’s a risk to great art, though. It takes a lot for an individual to pour their soul into their craft. But, as an artist myself, I think it’s worth it.