jared leto to method act as the literal concept of the sunday scaries for new a24 film
in a move that is literally shaking my entire nervous system, jared leto has announced his next role is not a person, but a feeling: the low-grade, pre-monday dread we all know and are traumatized by. is this art or an attack?
ok so, i'm literally dissociating as i write this, but the news is out and i feel a deep, somatic need to process it with you all. a24, the studio that basically owns the trademark on my specific flavor of aesthetic anxiety, has announced that for his role in their upcoming film 'the gloaming,' jared leto will not be playing a character. he will be playing a vibe. specifically, the anthropomorphic embodiment of the sunday scaries.
i just... i need a minute. this is so much to hold.
according to a press release that i'm honestly too activated to fully read, leto's process for 'becoming the dread' involves subsisting on a diet of lukewarm oat milk lattes and the ambient stress of unread slack notifications. sources from the set claim his preparation involves doomscrolling on his phone for 18 hours a day, sighing heavily at random intervals, and quietly whispering 'i should have just gone to grad school' during takes. he has reportedly refused to learn any of his lines, stating that the sunday scaries 'wouldn't have the bandwidth for memorization.'
his co-star, the eternally unproblematic florence pugh, is said to be 'navigating the energetic space' of acting opposite a man who is essentially a human sigh. an on-set source told variety, 'florence will be in the middle of this incredibly raw, emotional monologue, and jared will just be staring at a blank wall, overcome with a sudden memory of a mildly awkward interaction he had in 2014. it’s… a choice.'
and like, on one hand, i have to respect the commitment. he is living the trauma. he is authentically performing the low-level hum of panic that lives in my body from 4pm sunday until i log on for work monday morning. it's brave. but on the other hand, this is deeply, deeply triggering. do we need art to be this real? isn't existing already enough of a performance piece?
if you're also feeling completely overwhelmed by this emotional labor, i've curated a collection of healing items on my amazon storefront. this lavender-infused neck pillow is literally the only thing protecting my peace rn. just trying to hold space for us all.
'the gloaming' is set to be a harrowing two-hour film where timothée chalamet plays a gig-economy graphic designer who is just trying to enjoy his weekend but is haunted by leto's character, who follows him around reminding him about his overdrawn checking account and that one email he forgot to reply to on friday. i'm already exhausted. a24, please, for the love of everything, put a trigger warning for 'ambient dread' and 'the general weight of late-stage capitalism' on the poster.
Reader Discussion (10)
This is exactly the kind of challenging, high-concept art we need right now. People complaining just don't understand performance theory. Leto is pushing boundaries, and A24 is the only studio brave enough to let him.
Subsisting on unread Slack notifications? Amateurs. My Sunday Scaries are fueled by the knowledge that there's a P1 ticket waiting for me from 3am Saturday that nobody escalated.
Can Hollywood please just make a normal movie for once? I don't need to see some millionaire 'method act' a feeling I get for free every single week. It's pretentious garbage.
This isn't 'The Method,' it's a publicity stunt. The work is about finding an emotional truth, not becoming a living meme. De Niro would never.
Of course Jared Leto would do this. He's been insufferable for decades, this is just the next logical step after his 'Joker' antics. Can't wait for the stories about him sending his costars passive-aggressive calendar invites.
Technically, he's embodying a psychological state, not an 'anthropomorphic concept.' Anthropomorphism applies human traits to non-human *entities*, like animals or gods, not abstract feelings.
OMG I am already obsessed with this. Ari Aster and the Safdie brothers walked so Jared Leto could gloomily stare at a wall. Inject it directly into my veins.
Let's be honest, this is just genius marketing. They manufactured a viral news story out of thin air to sell a movie that's probably just two hours of Chalamet looking sad in an IKEA apartment.
Poor Florence. First Don't Worry Darling and now she has to act opposite a guy who thinks he's a vibe. She deserves so much better, she's a generational talent.
Was this article written by a teenager's Tumblr account? 'Literally dissociating,' 'activated,' 'holding space'... and then you plug your Amazon storefront? Unbelievably unprofessional.