Jared Leto Considered Going to the Oscars in Drag as His Dallas Buyers Club Character Rayon

Actor says he "thought about dragging up" for Academy Awards

By Brett Malec Mar 24, 2014 6:19 PMTags
Jared Leto, Oscars, WinnersKevin Winter/Getty Images

Jared Leto is revealing that he almost went to the Oscars dressed as a woman!

In an interview with the London Evening Standard, the 42-year-old actor says he thought about attending the Academy Awards dressed in drag as his Dallas Buyers Club character Rayon.

"I thought about dragging up for the Oscars, going as Rayon, because I knew that she would have loved to be there," the Oscar winner says. "It's so much work for girls to get ready. I was brought up by my mum, so I always had an appreciation of women. But now I have more respect for the process. It's a lot, what women have to do to themselves. But in the end, when you put that final dash of lipstick on and your look all comes together, it really is a glorious reward."

Anne Marie Fox / Focus Features

In the end, Leto walked the carpet and picked up his trophy for Best Supporting Actor in a white and black suit with a bold red bowtie.

Leto admitted he doesn't really care about awards, adding, "But I would never say, ‘I don't give a s--t about the Oscars,' because it's not the whole truth. It's not about the shiny, naked golden man, or the pat on the back, it's about being able to stand on a world stage for two minutes in front of a billion people and say something that is meaningful, important to you...I could have really taken the piss. But I didn't want to wing it with this one. I prepared. I wanted to keep it classy."

After thanking his family and bringing awareness to those affected by AIDS, Leto partied the night away. "It was pretty f--king fantastic to see all those Hollywood dreamers letting loose with such abandon," he said of the Oscars partying. "I looked over and my mother was dancing with Madonna."

As for his award-winning portrayal of Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, Leto was bluntly asked about how he hid his manhood to play a trans-woman in the film. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do," he quipped. "But, let's just say, there are times when you're not as prepared as you'd like to be..."