What you need to know
- WeCrashed star Jared Leto has been speaking about playing WeWork founder Adam Neumann in the Apple TV+ show.
- Leto wanted to speak with Nuemann but didn't tell the Apple TV+ team he was going to do it.
Jared Leto, star of Apple TV+ show WeCrashed, has been talking about playing WeWork founder Adam Neumann and meeting the man himself to try to "find some empathy" for the role.
Leto plays the role of Adam Neumann in the Apple TV+ show that tells the story of WeWork, a company that was built from nothing and at one point had a $47 billion valuation. But it all came crumbling down, making the WeCrashed story one of the most compelling on Apple TV+ to date. But Leto tells Variety that he wanted to get a feel for who Neumann was before setting about playing him on TV. But he didn't want to tell the Apple TV+ people the meeting was going to happen.
Leto said he didn't tell the production that he was meeting with them. "To be honest, I thought I would regret if I didn't. I wanted to look in his eyes," he notes. "Sometimes there's freedom in not knowing the person, not meeting the person and, and other times, it can be informative to meet them. I think also, regardless of people's success or failure, it's my job to find some empathy. That's my job as an actor, is to try to find some understanding – that doesn't mean that you agree with everything that a character does, but it's certainly to find some understanding some motivation of you know, why they made the choices in life that they did."
Leto plays opposite Anne Hathaway, who had the job of taking on the role of Neumann's wife and business partner. On Hathaway, Leto says she is "a classic actor, a real craftsperson" while suggesting that the chemistry the pair have on-screen is all down to her.
Much has been made of Leto and Hathaway's chemistry in playing a couple in a relationship that might be considered toxic, but viewers never doubt their passion for one another. Again, Leto sings defers to his co-star's talent, saying: "Look, when you have someone who's as great at Annie, I think she would probably have chemistry with a doorknob."
The WeCrashed show is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name and fans should definitely check out the Apple TV+ show. They'll need an Apple TV+ subscription, but priced at just $4.99 per month, that's excellent value indeed.
