Jared Leto Thought He Might Become a Drug Dealer

Actor and musician Jared Leto has opened up on his teenage years, admitting that he once considered becoming a drug dealer before his acting career took off. He says that at age 16 he was examining his life and even though about becoming an artist/painter for a while too during a “crossroads” period:

“I was at a crossroads in life when I was 16. I was taking a look at my opportunities and what I’d do with my life and how I’d go about it. I didn’t know I was going to be an actor. I thought it might be an artist or a painter. Or maybe a drug dealer. But I didn’t know which path I would take. It’s just fortunate that I chose one over the other.”

Jared says he wasn’t well behaved growing up and got in to plenty of trouble with the police. He calls his teenage yeas “turbulent” and says that doing drugs made him act out even further. He wishes he could go back in time and offer his younger self some good advise to get through those tough times:

“I was in trouble quite a bit with the authorities, any person who made rules or the law. I dropped out of school. My adolescence was actually a very turbulent time for me… Probably a lot of my behaviour was related to doing drugs. I’d like to go back and reassure my younger self that things will be okay and he should remember how much our choices impact on our lives and how much responsibility we have for our own lives. And how much hard work pays off. And that it’s okay to dream as big as you can dream. I’d tell him to hang on tight, and listen, and to bet on himself.”