Bonding on ‘Tron’ Set: Jeff Bridges and Jared Leto’s Method-Acting Connection

Two Types of Actors According to Rob Lowe

According to Rob Lowe, there are two kinds of actors: the Jeff Bridges of the world and the Jared Letos.

Behind the Scenes of Tron: Ares

“You, I know, are like me of the School of Actor where we show up and do it,” Lowe said on his Sirius XM show Literally! with Rob Lowe while probing Bridges for behind-the-scenes scoop from the set of Tron: Ares. “There’s not a lot of artifice around the edges. Then there’s Jared Leto, who — you know, when Jared played the Joker — I have a friend who played his best friend — he was ‘Mr. J’ the whole time.”

The Roles of Leto and Bridges in Tron: Ares

Leto plays the titular Ares in the upcoming film, while Bridges reprises his role as as Kevin Flynn, who, in the original 1982 film, is a computer programmer who’s whisked into the machine and forced into a dangerous, neon-hued survival game.

Meeting Jared Leto on Set

“I hadn’t met him before. I’m saying, ‘What’s it gonna be like?’ because he was also a producer of the [film], big fan of the original, working on it for 10 years,” Bridges said of Leto. “I came in and — you know how each set has like a little, you know, each set has a different vibe? There was an interesting vibe on this. I said, ‘How’s Jared? How’s he working?’ ‘He’s all right. You know, we call him Ares, you know, so he goes by his name,’ and I said, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.'”

Building Chemistry on Set

Bridges went on to explain how he likes to get to know the other actors, “get as loose and comfortable with each other so we can relax when we’re doing the work.” While he thinks the “please call me by my character’s name” camp works just as well, he didn’t know how to relate to Leto.

Music Jam Sessions with Leto

“You know, his name was Ares in the [movie] and I ended up going, ‘Hey Air. What’s happening, man?'” he said. “And I say, ‘Is it okay if I call you Air?’ You know? And he says, ‘Yeah, sure you can,’ and then we got loose, and we had — it was just wonderful. I mean, we just, we jammed, you know? We kind of had a lot to — you know, the music, we could — you know, a lot of stuff.”

Surprises on Set

Lowe was surprised to find out that not only is Leto, the 30 Seconds to Mars frontman, a “rock star,” but so is Ares.

“Oh, Air was,” Bridges, a singer and musician also, said. “I won’t tell you ’cause we get into some music stuff in the [movie], and it’s quite good. He’s wonderful in the part though, and I’m so happy to be a part.”

Tron: Ares Cast and Release Date

Tron: Ares, a standalone sequel to 2010’s Tron: Legacy, also stars Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson, and Sarah Desjardins. It will be released on Oct. 10, 2025.

FAQs

Q: What are the two types of actors according to Rob Lowe?

A: According to Rob Lowe, there are two kinds of actors: the Jeff Bridges of the world and the Jared Letos.

Q: Who plays the titular Ares in the upcoming film Tron: Ares?

A: Jared Leto plays the titular Ares in the upcoming film Tron: Ares.

Q: When is Tron: Ares set to be released?

A: Tron: Ares is set to be released on Oct. 10, 2025.

Credit: ew.com