Leto's weight gain forced him into a wheelchair

Jared Leto has revealed his role in controversial new movie Chapter 27 left him wheelchair bound.

Jared, who plays John Lennon's killer Mark Chapman in Chapter 27, revealed gaining 27kg to play Chapman left him unable to walk.

He said: "My body was in shock from the amount of weight I gained.

"I don't know if it was gout - but I had a definite problem with my feet. I couldn't walk for long distances. I had a wheelchair because it was so painful."

The 36-year-old star insists the weight gain was essential to the role and was shocked by people's reactions to his enlarged body.

Jared explained: "It was important to make that transformation. It changed everything about who I was - the way I walked, talked, how I felt about myself and the way people treated me. It was interesting to see what people thought - some obviously thought I'd let myself go."

The Lord of War star insists he will never resort to such drastic measures for a movie role in the future because his body still hasn't recovered.

Jared added: "I'd never do it again, it definitely gave me some problems.

"It took about a year to feel semi-normal. I don't know if I'll ever be back to the place I was physically."

Via nzherald.co.nz