Jared Leto decided to go to the next level Thursday to promote his upcoming Seasons World Tour.
The Dallas Buyers Club star scaled a portion of the outside of the Empire State Building, making him the first person to ever legally climb to the top of the landmark, officials told the Today show.
After the climb, he told the NBC morning show, “I was more excited than nervous, to tell you the truth. But I have to be honest, it was very, very hard. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Just the endurance that it took, the stamina that it took, and it was very sharp.”
Leto, who is an avid rock climber in his free time, ascended from floors 86 to 104 on the east side of the building, putting him nearly 1,300 feet up in the air. Once he reached the area of the landmark that lights up, he continued to climb its three tiers until he made his way to the base of the building’s famous antenna. During the climb, he was also in gear, attached to ropes that secured him just in case.
But for the Suicide Squad actor, the climb was more than just a promotional opportunity. He also got to cross an item off his bucket list.
“It’s incredible,” Leto said. “To watch the sun rise overlooking the city that’s meant so much to me. Ever since I was a kid, New York stood for the place that you went to make your dreams come true.”
He continued, “And as a young kid, I wanted to be an artist, and New York was the place that you came to be an artist. And the Empire State Building was always that symbol for me.”
Leto is set to head out on tour with his band Thirty Seconds to Mars — which he formed in 1998 with his older brother, Shannon Leto — beginning in March 2024. It will run until September 2024. The Seasons World Tour is in support of the band’s sixth studio album, It’s the End of the World but It’s a Beautiful Day.
