If You Heckle Jared Leto, You’re Going to Get Served
You’re entitled to your opinion about Jared Leto’s Academy Award-nominated performance in Dallas Buyer’s Club.
You’re even entitled to voice said opinion.
The only caveat, it seams, is time and place.
Rewind to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso Awards last Tuesday evening, where Leto was minding his own business, repping for the handsome mysteries of the world, when a heckler decided the event was too celebratory. The person — who witnesses identified as a transgender woman — apparently rose up to shout, “Trans-misogyny does not deserve an award! You’re a man! You shouldn’t play a transgendered role!” Leto, who’s dealt with some backlash over his award show acceptance speeches (with Salon’s Dan D’addario going as far as to call him “homophobic”) stayed expectedly cool, even engaging. “Because I’m a man, I don’t deserve to play that part?” Leto asked, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “So you would hold a role against someone who happened to be gay or lesbian — they can’t play a straight part?”
The back and forth continued, after the heckler suggested that the only actors that win awards for playing transgender characters are straight. Leto landed his touché aptly, and offered, “Then you’ve made sure people that are gay, people that aren’t straight, people like the Rayons of the world would never have the opportunity to turn the tables and explore parts of that art.” Leto then invited the heckler to continue their tête–à–tête after his interview, and according to The Wrap, the two later engaged in a backstage “heart-to-heart.” All’s well that ends well.
Main image courtesy of NYC Daily News; featured image courtesy of Collider.
