Ten women featured in the BBC documentary *Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret* spoke out about alleged sexual harassment by the actor and musician Jared Leto. Four of them reported incidents that could constitute criminal offences; some of the incidents described took place when the women were under the age of consent. Leto has not responded to repeated requests from the BBC regarding these allegations.
Briefly about the main points
- Ten women gave their testimonies for a BBC documentary.
- Four participants reported suspected criminal acts.
- One woman spoke of having sex with Leto in California when she was 17.
- The BBC verified some of the accounts through relatives, correspondence and photographs.
- Leto did not respond to the BBC’s enquiries regarding the new allegations.
What scenes did the women in the film describe?
One of the women told the BBC that she had been sexually assaulted in a motel when she was 17. Another said that when she was 19, Jared Leto allegedly threatened her with sexual assault after she found herself alone with him in a hotel room.
Another participant, Clara, said she had sex with Leto in California when she was 17 and he was 34. Under state law, the age of consent is 18, and sexual intercourse between an adult and a person under that age may constitute a criminal offence.
A woman, whom the BBC refers to as Etta, claimed that when she was 16, she received sexually explicit phone calls from Leto, along with a proposition for sex. She also reported that she was subsequently sent a non-disclosure agreement, but refused to sign it. Four other women have spoken of similar calls when they were young.
One of the women featured in the film stated that, when she was 14, following a lewd comment by Leto about her breasts, he asked a security guard to escort her backstage at a music festival.
Verification of the evidence and Leto’s reaction
According to the BBC, all ten women had contact with Leto between 2002 and 2016, when he was aged between 30 and 40. Nine of them have spoken publicly about their experiences for the first time.
The broadcaster reported that it had corroborated some of the accounts through friends and relatives to whom the women had spoken about the encounters at the time. In some cases, the BBC also reviewed photographs and messages that supported their accounts. Two former members of the band Thirty Seconds to Mars said that staff felt uncomfortable about Leto’s interactions with teenage girls, who were sometimes invited backstage or to the house where the band was working.
The BBC notes that Summer He did not respond to repeated enquiries regarding the new allegations. Previously, when other allegations had resurfaced, he had denied all the charges.
What is known about the BBC film?
The documentary film *Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret* focuses on the testimonies of women who describe their long-standing relationships with the actor. Leto is known for his roles in the films *Fight Club*, *Blade Runner 2049* and *Suicide Squad*, as well as for being the frontman of Thirty Seconds to Mars. In 2014, he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in *Dallas Buyers Club*.
The statements featured in the film are the accounts of the women who appear in it. Their inclusion in a single investigation may draw further attention to previous allegations that have already been levelled against Leto.
