Jared Leto talks about his latest transformation in "Dallas Buyers Club" | Interviews

Did you look at other great cross-dressing performances?

You know what I didn't think of until this morning? I started to think of…What is the movie that takes place in Brooklyn, about a bank robbery?

"Dog Day Afternoon."

It was a very quick part, but it was very real. She shows up as Al Pacino's wife and I remembered it was so real, their relationship. That love. Here's this dysfunctional relationship and it is surviving. There are some very funny performances like Jack Lemmon in "Some Like It Hot." And "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." But that was very much about drag queens. Not about transgender or transsexual.

Besides losing weight, you also had to sacrifice your eyebrows. Were you worried they wouldn't come back?

I was worried. I waxed my eyebrows off. I waxed them twice throughout shooting. Two or three times. And I remember the second time, I thought, "Oh man, is this the one when they don't ever come back?" They started to come back a little bit so we had to wax them again. But they did.

What do you hope that people get out of this?

It's more than I ever expected already. The response is crazy. It's insane, it's amazing. But film has the power to change us. I've watched movies that have changed my life. If you love film, it changes you. I remember watching a film like "The Last Emperor," "Empire of the Sun," "Apocalypse Now." There is a great lesson learned here. A reminder in this film. That the impossible is possible. And a small group of people can do really amazing things. And it is interesting to go back in time and remember when AIDS was a death sentence. As far as the character goes, I hope people get to know someone and they have a little more understanding and empathy. We all know there are a lot of Rons out there. They may see the movie and change their minds.

How was it working with Matthew? He is in a great place right now with all the acclaim that he has been getting with the smaller films he is doing.

It is one of the reasons I decided to do the film after not making one for five or six years. I thought if he is willing to bet on this, it gave me confidence. It's interesting. He has done this by design. He has sought films that are the type I love. Smart, independent, interesting films. Challenging films.

Many of them such as "The Lincoln Lawyer," "Bernie" and "Mud" are making money, too.

That is refreshing in a day and age of superhero blockbusters. It's nice that interesting films, smaller films, can still get made and that there is an audience out there for them.

Are you going back to working on films now after this experience?

I am back working on one film. "Dallas Buyers Club." I'm really proud to be a part of it.

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