Jared Leto Opens Up About Near-Death Experience

During the climb, Leto "took a pretty good fall" after looking up and realizing his rope was being cut by a rock. As he dangled some 600-ft in the air, Leto looked down at the ground and felt a moment of acceptance before the adrenaline finally kicked in from the whole incident.

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“It was like an acceptance, and a little bit of sadness,” he told Men's Health. “It wasn’t even fear. It was like, ah, not now.”

Realizing he'd live to see another day, Leto said that the experience helped him to come to terms with the idea of death and — subsequently — aging, saying that, “Your physical body might give out on you, or your brain, and maybe then you turn away from some objectives and you can turn toward others. You can be a hundred years old and take a very deep, mindful breath. That probably has its own challenges and rewards.”

As if to demonstrate he's conquered any fear of falling, for the Men’s Health shoot, Leto took a picture literally hanging off a massive rock.

Elsewhere in the interview, Leto talks his all-in commitment to roles. The actor is known for going to extremes to get into character: gaining and losing weight, dying his hair, and changing his mannerisms completely to the point that he’s often unrecognizable.

When asked if he’s ever felt ridiculous within a role, he said that, “I never felt ridiculous about that. I don’t think I would take on the job if I had any indication that that would be the case.” And don’t even think he regrets any of his roles so far. “No. Come on,” he says. “I’m gonna be dead soon. Who gives a flying fuck?” Seemingly leaving any inhibitions out in Nevada, the newfound perspective has obviously served Leto's career well.

Photo via Getty/ Stefania D'Alessandro/ WireImage