Jared Leto Becomes the First Person to Legally Climb the Empire State Building

Multi-talented actor, musician, and Met Gala fashion icon Jared Leto became the first person to legally climb the Empire State Building on Thursday morning. It was a lifelong dream for Leto, who is also a dedicated climber, to scale the iconic landmark.

Following his epic journey, Leto gave an exclusive interview on The Today Show.

"I was more excited than nervous to tell you the truth," the 51-year-old Suicide Squad star said. "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 scaled from floors 86 to 104 on the Empire State Building in a daring feat accomplished with bare hands. He showed off his bloodied palm on the morning show, noting that the building was much sharper than he’d anticipated. The entire climb took about 20 minutes and saw Leto ascend 1,300 feet into the air as the sun rose over New York City.

"It's incredible,” the actor recalled of the experience. “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. “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 has made a bit of a name for himself as a daredevil in recent years. In the last two months alone, he bungee jumped into a concert and free-climbed a hotel wall in Berlin. His most recent adventure served the dual purpose of promoting an upcoming 30 Seconds to Mars tour, which will run from March until September 2024.