Jared Leto says his TRON:ARES character is like a ‘stoic samurai warrior’

With Tron: Ares a few days after its release in cinemas, Jared Leto is opening up about her mysterious and emotionally contained role in the long-awaited sci-fi sequel.

The actor, who enters the digital world as protagonist Ares, recently shared new insights into his process of embodying a sentient program with no backstory or human experience.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, the Oscar-winning actor described the unique challenge of playing an AI character discovering emotions and identity for the first time.

Referring to the empty nature of Ares, Leto said:

“In a way, it’s easier when you have a lot to grasp, and I’m used to exploring, in a way, some of the more colorful aspects of the character.

“Ares is all about efficiency; I consider him, for example, a stoic samurai warrior. You know, isn’t that a wasted movement?”

This minimalist approach shapes Ares’ personality throughout the film.

“He’s not very expressive and he’s probably not the first person to talk about his feelings, especially at the beginning of the film, but then he goes on a journey and starts to open up.

“Obviously, in a big film like this there’s only a certain amount of time to explore the nuances of the characters, where you have to explain a lot.

“But we talked a lot about the process of discovering Ares and what it must have been like to have these human experiences for the first time. It was a lot of fun. I found it really exciting.”

Directed by Joachim Rønning, Tron: Ares marks the next chapter in Disney’s Digital Frontier saga, diving deep into humanity’s first contact with artificial intelligence, and ultimately turned out to be a truly fantastic film! I know, the reviews are mixed, but I loved it!

Tron: Ares hits theaters on October 10, 2025, and fans can expect a visually stunning and emotionally grounded exploration of what it means to be human in a world born of code.