Jared Leto Poses With Elephants, Mounts His Very Own Trunk Show

Actor communes with pachyderms in brooding photo shoot at a South African nature reserve

Jared Leto is packing on the pachyderms.

The Requiem for a Dream actor seems to be channeling his very own inner ringmaster in these eye-popping photos showing him communing with some very majestic elephants.

The 41-year-old recently posted the pics, which were shot by Warwick Saint, on his website, with the star flexing his best brooding, model-y looks.

Although Leto doesn't provide any captions, the Huffington Post reports that the pics were taken back in 2004 for a spread in Flaunt magazine, and Saint himself notes that they were shot in South Africa at an elephant park in Knysna.

Of course, editorial photo shoots with elephants are nothing new—we're wondering if Leto and Saint might have been paying subtle homage to the great photographer Richard Avedon, whose iconic image "Dovima With Elephants" remains a touchstone of fashion photography.

The eccentric, brazen Leto is no stranger to experimenting with curious, eyebrow-raising or—in one case—eyebrow-free looks. This past fall, he was snapped in drag on the set of his upcoming film Dallas Buyers Club, and a few days later, he showed up at an awards show sans eyebrows.

Whether it's posing in drag or posing with elephants, at least Leto never fails to give his all to the tusk, er, task at hand.