Darren Aronofsky Doesn’t Mince Words While Describing His ‘Hate’ For Method Actors Years After Working With Jared Leto

Darren Aronofsky’s best movies, like Black Swan, Mother!, and Requiem for a Dream, to name a few, are truly memorable and powerful because of their brilliant direction and deep performances. However, the Academy Award nominee hasn’t minced words on his “hate” toward working with method actors years after he worked with Jared Leto in Requiem for a Dream.

Method actors are not like other actors who are only in character until the director yells “Cut!” They live the part even when the cameras are off to ensure they give a genuine performance. Darren Aronofsky isn’t a fan of this technique of deep-diving into a role and sure didn’t mince words in his Paris masterclass (via Variety):

The American filmmaker didn’t list any examples of method actors he was referring to, but we know he’s worked with them. He's also notably collaborated with Jared Leto, who has made many headlines for his immersive acting methods.

A BTS fact from Requiem for a Dream revealed that Jared Leto lost 25 pounds through fasting, spoke with a Brooklyn accent 24/7, and spent time with drug dealers on the NYC streets to play Harry Goldfarb. So, Aronofsky has seen this method actor in action before.

On top of that, Leto's methods have been discussed at length due to how he worked on other films. Using cloudy contact lenses to play the blind Niander Wallace, the Oscar winner made himself go blind for Blade Runner 2049 and had an assistant physically help him navigate the set. He was also extremely dedicated to playing Joker in Suicide Squad, and his co-star Jai Courtney said he was fully absorbed in the villainous role throughout production.

The Whale director later said in his masterclass that method acting was “fine” as long as it was not “debilitating” for everyone else involved in the movie. This makes me wonder how Darren Aronofsky would feel about Jared Leto’s questionable actions as the Joker. For example, he kissed his co-star Ike Barinholtz during the filming of Suicide Squad and sent his co-stars bizarre gifts, all to portray the DC villain. Leto’s co-star Common, however, claimed he didn’t have a problem with his method-acting technique, feeling you do what’s “necessary” to play the part.

Overall, Darren Aronofsky admitted his acceptance of what actors do during their downtime, but had to give his encouraging two cents on the subject:

Yes, relaxing is good advice for everyone, especially actors who are taking on difficult and consuming roles. However, method acting has also proven to work for many actors, like Daniel Day-Lewis, too.

In Darren Aronofsky’s 2025 movie release, he’ll be teaming up with Austin Butler in Caught Stealing. However, the former Nickelodeon star has been known to take up some method acting himself.

He went to great lengths to play Elvis Presley, like not seeing his family for months, falling asleep listening to The King’s voice, and even speaking the whole time in his Elvis voice. Fans even grew concerned when the Masters of the Air actor continued speaking as Elvis after the biopic. Now, I’m all the more curious if Butler will incorporate any of his method-like techniques into Aronofsky’s flick.

The idea of method acting may not hit well with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. However, fully immersing yourself in a role has also worked well for some actors and caused a commotion for others and their co-stars. So, there are really two sides to this coin, and it does seem like the beloved director knows that and accepts it (even if he's not a fan of the method).