Cannes You Dig It? By Jared Leto - Brief Article

Interview, August, 2000

AN ACTOR'S REPORT FROM THE C[hat{O}]TE D'ANXIETY

There's a big idea out there about the Cannes Film Festival, and most of it is true. An oddly fitting marriage of art and porn, parties and politics, it's everything that I thought it would be and more. Through all the smoke (Gitanes) and denial that one actually enjoys going there year after year, it's a place filled with a love of film. From the moment I arrived at the airport, we were getting updates on the buzz of this film and of that, and speculation on everything in between. Since it was my first time to Cannes, I learned a lot. One thing is that the French don't kiss anyone's ass. They boo the film if they feel the urge and walk out without much hesitation. They have also been known to burn the theater down if a film is too pretentious (OK, I made that up). I was there for the premiere of the film I appear in, Requiem for a Dream. Director Darren Aronofsky and I were convinced that there would be walk-outs and were preparing ourselves for slight, if not heavy, booing. Let me tell you why. Requiem is a n insane fucking movie. It's a journey into the depths of hell. It spits in your face and expects you to sit there and do nothing about it. OK, having gotten that off my chest, you can understand how we felt more than a little trepidation. Well, I won't kill you with anticipation. The lights went down, nobody walked out, and rather than boos, we received a standing ovation that blew us all away. An amazing, one-of-a-kind experience that I'll never forget.