Jared Leto confesses he has starved himself for a MONTH for film role as he reveals shockingly skinny frame

Jared Leto lifts his shirt to reveal his shockingly skinny frame - after starving himself for a month to play the role of a HIV-positive transsexual woman in the Dallas Buyers Club.

The actor and 30 Seconds To Mars star has shed a drastic amount of weight for the role - much like his co-star Matthew McConaughey.

However, while McConaughey has been on a slim-down mission for six months, Leto has transformed his physique in little over a month after only recently getting involved in the project.

Transformed: Jared Leto exposed his bony frame in a photograph taken by Terry Richardson. The actor has been starving himself after taking on the role of a HIV-positive transsexual woman in the Dallas Buyers Club 

Jared, 40, who has waxed his body hair and eyebrows for the movie, is seen here in a snap taken by famed photographer Terry Richardson.

It shows him lifting his T-shirt to expose his hollowed torso and jutting rib cage.

Buff: Flexing his muscles in May this year

This week Jared told Vulture about how he has been suffering for his art, revealing he has essentially starved himself for the past month.

He said of the weight loss: 'Your body goes through weird stages.

'Sometimes it's hard to hold on to water. But for me, it's not about the most weight I can lose, it's more to represent the character.'

He went on: 'Historically, people have done it for pursuit of self, to achieve a meditative state, so I'm hoping for that. It's not necessarily a bad thing.'

Explaining his involvement in the Jean-Marc Vallée-directed movie - which marks his return to the big screen after 2009's Mr Nobody - he said: 'I'm playing a transsexual woman. I didn't get involved in the project until a few weeks ago, three and a half weeks ago.'

Leto has gained and lossed weight before for film roles, notably piling on the pounds for Chapter 27 back in 2006.

The actor did not give details of how much he has lost for the Dallas Buyers Club, but his co-star McConaughey recently told how he has dropped almost 40lbs to play Ron Woodroof, a real-life electrician who smuggled illegal medication after contracting the disease.

Changing shapes: Leto on set last week in character and, right, looking chunky as he filmed scenes for Chapter 27 in New York back in 2006

Wasting away: Leto's co-star Matthew McConaughey, seen here on location in New Orleans on Wednesday, has lost 38lbs for his role as