Jared Leto recalls discovering pandemic two weeks late: ‘It was like a zombie apocalypse’
Actor was in a phone-less ‘meditation retreat’ when the pandemic intensified last March
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jared Leto has described finding out about the pandemic when the US was already in a state of lockdown.
The Oscar-winning actor revealed last year that he had been staying in a 12-day “silent meditation” retreat when quarantine was first imposed last March.
“The idea is that you go away, you get rid of your phone, you get rid of distractions, you get rid of everything and you just meditate,” he told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.
“When I went away, there were about 150 cases, and just in that short amount of time, when I came out, there was a shutdown, a state of emergency, and the whole world had changed. But when we were in there, they didn’t tell us.”
During the retreat, Leto was not allowed to use his phone, watch TV or talk. The organisers also made the decision not to “disturb” the participants.
“I didn’t turn on my phone until I went back to LA,” continued the Dallas Buyers Club star. “So I drove the whole way trying to be peaceful and zen, keep the feeling going. I got back and I was shocked. I was like Rip Van Winkle.”
Fallon then remarked that the anecdote was like “a Twilight Zone episode, but in real life”.
“I had this great tool to deal with ‘stress’,” added Leto, “But I don’t think anything can quite prepare any of us to what we all went through in the beginning. It was like coming out to the zombie apocalypse.”
The Tonight Show airs weekdays in the US on NBC.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments