Leto, who played John Lennon’s assassin Mark David Chapman in the film Chapter 27, gained 60 pounds for the role. The actor explained, "My body was in shock from the amount of weight I gained. I don’t know if it was gout – but I had a definite problem with my feet. I couldn’t walk for long distances. I had a wheelchair because it was so painful."
The 36-year-old star insists that the weight gain was necessary for the role, and he was surprised how people reacted to his new body. Leto added, "It was important to make that transformation. It changed everything about who I was – the way I walked, talked, how I felt about myself and the way people treated me. It was interesting to see what people thought – some obviously thought I’d let myself go."