The Golden Globe nominations were released to the delight and surprise of many in Hollywood on Wednesday, February 3. But none were quite as surprised as nominee Jared Leto for his role in the film The Little Things – because he had absolutely no clue it was happening.
When asked in an interview with THR about how he found out about his nomination, Jared Leto had a lot to say about generally not realizing what he was in for on Golden Globes nomination day. He noted:
I mean, complete transparency: I didn't even know the nominations were coming out today. I had trouble sleeping last night. I was tossing and turning. I went rock climbing yesterday in the mountains, and I think it was a bit restless from that. I finally got to bed — it was pretty late, so I slept in a little bit later. And when I woke up, I picked up my phone, I saw a lot of messages, and I thought, ‘Oh, I must be on a group chain or something.’ But when I opened up the messages and I saw the nomination — I admit I was quite shocked. I didn't really expect it. My mind is just not in that head space right now.
The carefully cultivated blasé manner is a direct foil to Jared Leto’s notorious persona. Though in real life he appears very laid back, Leto is also known to implement strict method acting techniques on the set of his films. He pranks his co-stars in character and even went so far as to lose over 30 pounds for his role in Dallas Buyers Club.
In the now Golden Globe-nominated film The Little Things, Denzel Washington plays a detective investigating a murder case, with Jared Leto as the prime suspect. Washington previously mentioned that Leto did not go full-method on that particular set, but that he and Jared Leto did not meet up before shooting, in order to heighten the tension and emotion.
Jared Leto having no idea about the day of Golden Globe nominations completes a particular brand image of being so cool, so chill, that he doesn’t really need to know the dates, times, or facts of his industry. He’s just going with the flow, man – and having his own fun while doing it.
His brand of effortless chill has manifested in other iconic moments on his promotional tour for The Little Things. Specifically, while on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Jared Leto appreciated Corden’s “energy” and revealed that his Oscar award (for Best Supporting Actor) has been amiss for years, and he is not too pressed to really track it down.
What’s even more chill than losing an Oscar, one might ask? Well, Jared Leto also did not know there was a global pandemic because he was on a self-imposed 12-day silent meditation retreat in March of 2020. His surprise realization about his recent Golden Globe nomination could be summed up in his reaction on Twitter to the pandemic: “Wow.”
Jared Leto and the other Golden Globe nominees will find out in a bi-coastal telecast of the awards show on NBC on February 28. If Leto wins the award, let’s hope that this time he doesn’t misplace it.
