Why Jared Leto Briefly Halted Filming on Tron: Ares

by

Jared Leto felt compelled to temporarily pause filming Tron: Ares mostly because of one dude.

The Thirty Seconds to Mars singer was just bowled over by the fact that his costar was Jeff Bridges.

Jared shared a story about his first day working with Jeff, telling Will Marfuggi of TopMob News at the *Tron: Ares* premiere in Los Angeles, “I actually had to yell ‘Cut!’ because I couldn’t stop smiling!” He explained that he was overwhelmed with happiness to be working with Jeff for the first time, while wearing the costume and admiring the amazing sets.

Jeff, who returned as Kevin Flynn in *Tron: Ares*, said they connected immediately.

I’ve always been fascinated by Jared’s dedication to his roles, especially his method acting. So when Jeff first met him – Jared’s playing the main character in the sequel, this incredibly advanced AI brought into the real world – Jeff really respected that and played along, letting Jared fully inhabit the character from the start.

Jared Leto felt compelled to temporarily pause filming Tron: Ares because of one dude.

The Thirty Seconds to Mars singer was completely amazed to be working with Jeff Bridges.

Jared recounted to Will Marfuggi of TopMob News, during a joint interview with Jeff at the Los Angeles premiere of Tron: Ares on October 6th, that he had to shout ‘Cut!’ on their first day working together. He explained that when the crew came over to check on him, he was simply overwhelmed with joy because he was finally working with Jeff, while wearing the costume and surrounded by the amazing sets.

Jeff and Jared quickly became friends on set. Jeff, who once again played Kevin Flynn in *Tron: Ares*, said they “hit it off right from the start.”

Jeff Bridges, 75, quickly pointed out to Jared Leto, 53, that he’s a method actor. This happened when they first met, and Leto had recently played a highly advanced AI in a physical form.

I remember the very first time I met Jeff. I was a little nervous, so I asked him, ‘Hey, since this is our first time working together, I heard you prefer being called by your character’s name. Would it be okay if I called you ‘Ar’?’ He had a great sense of humor and just laughed, saying, ‘Go right ahead!’ It immediately put me at ease.

Jared readily responded, saying, “Look, Jeff, you can call me anything you like.”

That wasn’t the only thing that brought the two actors closer while filming the third *Tron* movie, which comes out in theaters on October 10th.

Jeff explained to Jared in a Disney video that he’d given him the original Tron helmet as a symbolic gesture, like passing the torch to a successor.

The science fiction movie featured Jeff and Jared looking very different than they usually do, but they’re not the only actors who’ve drastically changed their appearance for a part. Read on to discover more examples…

Channing Tatum’s weight has changed quite a bit over the years, particularly in 2024, because he prepared for two movies filmed one after the other by physically transforming his body for each role.

In a March 2025 Instagram post, he revealed he currently weighs 205 pounds. This is a gain from the 172 pounds he weighed while filming *Roofman* (pictured right). Before *Roofman*, he filmed *Josephine* (pictured left) and weighed 235 pounds for the role.

To prepare for his Oscar-nominated role as Bob Dylan in the film *A Complete Unknown*, the actor from *Dune* taught himself to sing and play guitar.

He also revealed on the January 2025 episode of NPR’s *All Things Considered* podcast that he’d gained twenty pounds, explaining he was actually lighter than the actor he was portraying.

Cillian Murphy, who plays J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s film *Oppenheimer*, lost a significant amount of weight for the role. He became very thin, reportedly surviving on a diet of mostly martinis and cigarettes. According to his co-star, Emily Blunt, the demanding nature of the role led to a severely restricted diet – he was limited to just one almond per day.

 

The Oscar-winning actor discussed his dramatic 52-pound weight loss for his role as the Joker, telling the Associated Press that reaching his target weight brought significant relief. He explained that the most challenging part wasn’t the weight loss itself, but the daily obsession with losing even tiny amounts – just 0.3 pounds – which he admitted bordered on a disorder.

Fans were surprised to see how muscular the former Spider-Man actor had become, as first showcased in his role in Justice League.

He previously shared with TopMob News that his mother was concerned when he lost 30 pounds for the movie *Nightcrawler*. He said she mainly wanted him to be safe, but she also understood and admired his dedication to his work.

Johnny Depp, known for his role in *Pirates of the Caribbean*, described how difficult it was, both physically and emotionally, to lose 52 pounds for his film *The Cut*.

He explained that he was completely drained, both mentally and physically, and was also very irritable from being hungry. He admitted he was difficult to be around, struggling with paranoia and unwanted, intrusive thoughts, as he shared on *This Morning*.

He added that it’s best not to try this yourself, and warned it was a serious undertaking.

Michael B. Jordan, known for his role in *Black Panther*, added almost 30 pounds of muscle to convincingly play a boxer who goes from amateur to professional in the movie *Creed*.

The actor and musician won an Academy Award for his powerful performance in *The Dallas Buyers Club*. He lost 40 pounds to prepare for the part.

The Mindy Project alum had to gain 40 pounds for his role in Live by Night.

Renée Zellweger famously gained weight to realistically play Bridget Jones in the first two movies of the series.

Matthew McConaughey lost 30 pounds to play the lead role in *The Dallas Buyer’s Club*, a movie based on the true story of a man with AIDS in the 1980s who sought out and imported experimental treatments from Mexico to manage his illness.

The actress looked lean and strong for her starring role in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

The Les Misérables star took home an Oscar for her role in the musical.

This actor is known for dramatically changing his body for roles. He famously lost over 60 pounds for the 2004 film *The Machinist*, and did it again for *The Fighter* alongside Mark Wahlberg. He also gained 40 pounds for *American Hustle*, then lost a significant 70 pounds to play a role in *Ford v Ferrari*.

Jake Gyllenhaal transformed into a godlike figure rather than a traditional prince for his part in the 2010 movie *Prince of Persia*. To get in shape for the role, he trained in Parkour, a French discipline focused on navigating obstacles through running and jumping.

The Oscar-winning actor told *Time* magazine that preparing for his role in the 2000 film *Cast Away* simply required dedication and self-control. He lost more than 50 pounds to realistically portray a man stranded on a deserted island.

The rapper surprised his followers with a picture showing his noticeably slimmer physique. He apparently lost 54 pounds in nine weeks – dropping from 214 to 160 – to convincingly portray a football player battling cancer in the movie *Things Fall Apart*.

As someone who’s seen a lot of actors transform for roles, it’s always fascinating to see their dedication. A prime example? Robert De Niro actually *became* Max Cady for the 1991 film *Cape Fear*. He fully immersed himself in the part – even getting tattoos – and it really paid off, earning him an Oscar nomination. It’s a classic case of how a physical and mental transformation can elevate a performance.

To play former Vice President Dick Cheney in the 2018 movie *Vice*, the actor gained weight to more closely resemble him.

Read More

2025-10-07 23:17